Jesse Q. Sutanto's Favorite Feel-Good Crime Novels of the Year

Here are some of the best feel-good crime reads I read in 2022. It’s so hard to do crime right, especially crime that leaves you feeling cozy and restores your faith in humanity. Luckily, 2022 was a good year for feel-good crimes. As my own cozy mystery, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders, is slated to come out this year, I’m honored to share with you a few of the best crime books I read last year.

FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD, by Elle Cosimano

The highly-anticipated sequel to Finlay Donovan is Killing It does not disappoint! I couldn’t imagine how Cosimano was going to top her explosive first book in the series, but she not only comes up with an equally zany, energetic plot, but she delivers the story with aplomb and laugh-out-loud humor. Perfect for moms who are scrambling to keep everything together. 

THE BULLET THAT MISSED, by Richard Osman

The number of times I put this book down and said to my husband, “Oh my god, this is SO GOOD!” He was very sick of hearing about it. But trust me when I say: Oh my god, this is SO GOOD! Osman is a rare gem who just gets better with each subsequent book. The jokes are punchier, the pacing is sharper, and the characters are even deeper than before. It’s such a treat to be able to live in the same era as him!

THE VERIFIERS, by Jane Pek

I really had no idea where this plot would go, and oh boy, I was NOT disappointed. This one is surprisingly humorous, given its dark nature, and I was very much intimidated by Pek’s intelligence, which was apparent in the book. Both entertaining and incisive, with a ton of brilliant social commentary. I highly recommend this one!

THE CHASE, by Candice Fox

This one is higher-paced than the books I usually go for, but oh my gosh, what an amazing story! I was sucked in from the get-go, then it got even better by delving deep into each character. I was so invested and was on my toes the whole time! 

SUCH A FUN AGE, by Kiley Reid

I’m not sure if this one technically counts as a suspense, but I was very stressed out reading it, so I was definitely in suspense. This one is such an important read, and I think everyone should absolutely read it to get a grasp on perfomative allyship and microaggressions. Sheer brilliance. 

***