Staff Picks
What's New in Mystery/Thrillers by Black Authors
- Mona Verma
- Tuesday, June 01, 2021
Collection
Black authors have been traditionally underrepresented in Crime/Mystery books but times are changing for the better and it is exciting to see more inclusion and diversity in this genre. Do browse and checkout from this list of new titles which are riveting reads.
While Justice Sleeps
A Novel
Published in 2021
"An inside-Washington thriller about an ambitious law clerk thrown into a life-or-death treasure hunt with major national implications when the Supreme Court justice she works for slips into a sudden coma"-- Provided by publisher.
Dead Dead Girls
Published in 2021
"The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set during the Harlem Renaissance from debut author Nekesa Afia. Harlem, 1926. Young black women like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead. Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She's succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie's Cafae and her nights at the Zodiac, Harlem's hottest speakeasy. Louise's friends might say she's running from her past and thenotoriety that still stalks her, but don't tell her that. When a girl turns up dead in front of the cafae, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore-two other local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After analtercation with a police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or wind up in a jail cell. Louise has no choice but to investigate and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind hell-bent on taking more lives, maybe even her own"-- Provided by publisher.
When No One is Watching
A Thriller
Published in 2020
"Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block -- her neighbor Theo. But Sydney and Theo's deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised. When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other -- or themselves -- long enough to find out before they too disappear?" -- Provided by publisher.
A Game of Cones
Published in 2021
"In this charming mystery series set in an ice cream shop, no case is too cold to crack! Bronwyn Crewse is delighted that Crewse Creamery, the ice cream shop her family has owned for decades, is restored to its former glory and serving sweet frozen treats to happy customers in the picturesque small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. But when a big city developer comes to town intent on building a mall, a killer with a frozen heart takes him out. After literally stumbling across the body, one of Win's closest friends becomes the prime suspect, and to make things worse, Win's aunt has come to town with the intention of taking command of Crewse Creamery. Even though Win has a rocky road ahead to help her friend and keep her ice cream shop, it'll take more than a sprinkle of murder to stop her from solving the crime and saving the day"-- Provided by publisher.
Blacktop Wasteland
A Novel
Published in 2020
"A gritty, voice-driven thriller about a former getaway driver who thought he had escaped the criminal life who is pulled back in by race, poverty, and his own former life of crime. Beauregard "Bug" Montage is a man with many different titles: husband, father, friend, honest car mechanic. But before he gave it up, Bug used to be known from the hills of North Carolina to the beaches of Florida as the best Wheel Man on the East Coast. After a series of financial calamities, Bug feels he has no choice but to take one final job as the getaway driver for a daring diamond heist that could solve all his money troubles and allow him to go straight once and for all. Like "Ocean's Eleven" meets "Drive" (but with a mostly black cast of characters), Blacktop Wasteland is a searing, operatic story of sons living up (or down) to their fathers; of a heist gone sideways; of a man ground down by economic desperation; of fast cars and daring chases and identity and love"-- Provided by publisher.
The Conjure-man Dies
Published in 2020
Perry Dart, one of Harlem's ten African-American black police detectives, investigates the murder of N'Gana Frimbo, the African conjure-man. Also includes the short story "John Archer's Nose."
Lakewood
A Novel
Published in 2020
"A stunning debut novel that delves fearlessly into the taboo subject of modern-day medical experimentation on African Americans"-- Provided by publisher.
And Now She's Gone
Published in 2020
"Isabel Lincoln is gone. But is she missing? It's up to Grayson Sykes to find her. Although she is reluctant to track down a woman who may not want to be found, Gray's search for Isabel Lincoln becomes more complicated and dangerous with every new revelation about the woman's secrets and the truth she's hidden from her friends and family. Featuring two complicated women in a dangerous cat and mouse game, And Now She's Gone explores the nature of secrets--and how violence and fear can lead you to abandon everything in order to survive"-- Provided by publisher.
When You Look Like Us
Published in 2021
Jay is forced to continually cover for his sister, Nicole, who hangs out with the wrong crowd; however, Jay can't deal with it any more. Soon after, Nic fails to return home. When she's deemed missing, the police barely bother to search for her; she's just another lost Black girl. Jay feels guilty and he thinks, "If I hadn't hung up on her that night, she would be home spending time with our grandma. If I was a better brother, she'd be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a missing persons list." He decides it's time to step up and find his sister and bring her home.-- Publisher's description.
The Other Black Girl
A Novel
Published in 2021
"Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada in this electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing. Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she's thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They've only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust. Then the notes begin to appear on Nella's desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW. It's hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella startsto spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career. A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist"-- Provided by publisher.
Find Me When I'm Lost
Published in 2020
When Charlie's ex is accused of murder, she must untangle a confusing knot of jealousies, complications and discordant clues.
Her Three Lives
Published in 2021
"Greg Hamlin's kids think he's having a mid-life crisis. With his youngest off to college, the wealthy architect has divorced his wife and begun designing a new life with Anya, a struggling lifestyle blogger whose Bronx-upbringing and Caribbean roots seeman odd match for a suburban-Connecticut dad. But before Greg's second act can truly start, a savage home invasion leaves him housebound with a traumatic brain injury and glued to the live feeds from his omnipresent security cameras. The more Greg watches, the less safe he feels. Soon, he and his kids suspect his fiance of hiding something. Greg begins monitoring Anya's every move, watching her on the cameras, tracking her phone, and digging into her past. Anya is keeping secrets. But do they relate to her involvement in the break-in? Or, is Greg's battered brain playing tricks, pushing him to terrorize the only person who truly loves him? Is his life in danger? Or are Greg and his family the ultimate threat?"-- Provided by publisher.
Dead of Winter
Published in 2021
"Authentico Foods Inc. has been a part of Detroit's Mexican town for over thirty years, grown from a home kitchen business to a city-block-long facility that supplies Mexican tortillas to restaurants throughout the Midwest. Detroit ex-cop and Mexican town native August Snow has been invited for a business meeting at Authentico Foods. Its owner, Ronaldo Ochoa, is dying, and is being blackmailed into selling the company to an anonymous entity. Worried about his employees, Ochoa wants August to buy it. August has no interest in running a tortilla empire, but he does want to know who's threatening his neighborhood. Quickly, his investigation takes a devastating turn and he and his loved ones find themselves ensnared in a dangerous net of ruthless billionaire developers. August Snow must fight not only for his life, but for the soul of Mexican town itself"-- Provided by publisher.
Lightseekers
Published in 2021
When Dr. Philip Taiwo is called on by a powerful Nigerian politician to investigate the public torture and murder of three university students in remote Port Harcourt, he has no idea that he's about to be enveloped by a perilous case that is far from cold. Philip is not a detective. He's an investigative psychologist, an academic more interested in figuring out the why of a crime than actually solving it. But when he steps off the plane and into the dizzying frenzy of the provincial airport, he soon realizes that the murder of the Okriki Three isn't as straightforward as he thought. With the help of his loyal and streetwise personal driver, Chika, Philip must work against those actively conspiring against him to parse together the truth of what happened to these students.-- Publisher's description.
The Jigsaw Man
A Novel
Published in 2021
Serial Crimes Unit DI Anjelica Henley races to stop a copycat killer and prevent her own death before the ruthless murderer who is being imitated takes matters into his own hands.
Blood Grove
Published in 2021
After being approached by a shell-shocked Vietnam War veteran who claims to have gotten into a fight protecting a white woman from a black man, Easy embarks on an investigation that takes him from mountaintops to the desert, through South Central and into sex clubs and the homes of the fabulously wealthy, facing hippies, the mob, and old friends perhaps more dangerous than anyone else.
The Missing American
Published in 2020
"When her dreams of rising through the police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her life in Accra. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency tracking down missing persons, thefts, and marital infidelities. It's not the future she imagined, but it's her best option. Meanwhile, Gordon Tilson, a middle-aged widower in Washington, DC, has found solace in an online community after his wife's passing. Through the support group, he's even met a young Ghanaian widow he really cares about, and when her sister gets into a car accident, he sends her thousands of dollars to cover the hospital bill--to the horror of his only son, Derek. When Gordon runs off to Ghana to surprise his new love and disappears, Derek chases after him, fearing for his father's life. The case of the missing American man will drag both Emma and Derek into a world of Sakawa scams, fetish priests, and those willing to keep things secret through death"-- Provided by publisher.
Sleep Well, My Lady
Published in 2021
"Hard-hitting talk show host Augustus Seeza has become a household name in Ghana, though plagued by rumors of lavish overspending, alcoholism, and womanizing. He's dating the imposing, beautiful Lady Araba, who leads a self-made fashion empire. Araba's religious family believes Augustus is after her money and intervenes to break them up. A few days later, just before a major runway show, Araba is found murdered in her bed. Her driver is arrested after a hasty investigation, but Araba's favorite aunt, Dele, has always thought Augustus Seeza was the real killer. Almost a year later, Dele approaches Emma Djan, who has finally started to settle in as the only female PI at her agency. To solve Lady Araba's murder, Emma must not only go on an undercover missionthat dredges up trauma from her past, but navigate a long list of suspects with solid alibis. Emma quickly discovers that they are willing to lie for each other--and that one may still be willing to kill"-- Provided by publisher.
Sorrowland
Published in 2021
"Vern gives birth to twins and raises them away from the influence of the outside world. But something is wrong-not with them, but with her own body...A genre-bending work of Gothic fiction that wrestles with the history of American racism"-- Provided by publisher.
A Glimmer of Death
Published in 2021
In the first of a thrilling new series, one woman's extraordinary psychic gift plunges her already-troubled present into chaos--and puts her future in someone's deadly sights... Until now, Odessa Jones' inherited ability to read emotions and foretell danger has protected her. But second sight didn't warn her she would soon be a widow--and about to lose her home and the catering business she's worked so hard to build. The only things keeping Dessa going are her love for baking and her sometimes-mellow cat, Juniper. Unfortunately, putting her life back together means taking a gig at an all-kinds-of-shady real estate firm run by volatile owner Charlie Risko. Until Charlie is brutally killed--and Dessa's bullied co-worker is arrested for murder. Dessa can't be sure who's guilty. But it doesn't take a psychic to discover that everyone from Charlie's much-abused staff to his long-suffering younger wife had multiple reasons to want him dead. And as Dessa follows a trail of lies through blackmail, dead-end clues, and corruption, she needs to see the truth fast--or a killer will bury her deep down with it.