The Best New Books to Check Out in Paperback This January

As we enter the second year of the pandemic, we’re launching a new monthly column to bring awareness to the great titles you might have missed the first time around. These new-in-paperback titles are some of the most exciting mysteries and crime novels around—plus, they won’t break the bank!

Gytha Lodge, Watching from the Dark, Random House Trade (1/5)

“Readers will enjoy the fast pace, red herrings, and intriguing characters in this British police procedural–slash-psychological thriller.”—Booklist

Hank Phillippi Ryan, The First To Lie, Forge (1/5)

“A taut, propulsive plot with twists that will take your breath away…book clubs will gobble up The First to Lie.” —Sarah Pekkanen

Joanna Schaffhausen, All The Best Lies, Minotaur (1/5)

“Chilling…tight plotting and a few genuinely shocking twists propel this emotionally charged thriller all the way to the explosive finale. Old and new readers alike will be enthralled.”—Publishers Weekly

Chris Bohjalian, The Red Lotus, Vintage (1/5)

“You’ll keep flipping pages, discover new complex characters, see the mysterious situation from different points of view—and you’ll be surprised at each well-plotted turn.” —Katie Yee, Literary Hub

Walter Mosley, Trouble Is What I Do, Mulholland (1/12)

“Spieled in a powerful, streamlined voice, this wrenching American noir will stick with readers long after the final page.”—Booklist

Christopher Bollen, A Beautiful Crime, Harper Perennial (1/12)

“Deliciously diabolical…What makes the crime in Bollen’s stylish new novel so beautiful is that the perps’ plan works out even better than they’d hoped—at least for a while…A skilled purveyor of suspense…Bollen’s wit sparkles on almost every page.”—Washington Post

Steven Wright, The Coyotes of Carthage, Ecco (1/12)

“With this splendid debut, Steven Wright announces his arrival as a major new voice in the world of political thrillers. I enjoyed it immensely.”—John Grisham

Tanen Jones, The Better Liar, Ballantine (1/12)

“Jones’ sensational debut has the bones of a thriller but reads like literary fiction: lean, shrewd, and gratifyingly real.”—Entertainment Weekly

Stephanie Wrobel, Darling Rose Gold, Berkley (1/19)

“[A] diabolically plotted debut…Propulsive pacing, a claustrophobic setting, and vividly sketched characters who are equal parts victim and villain conspire to create an anxious, unsettling narrative. Psychological suspense fans will be well satisfied.”—Publishers Weekly

Jeff Abbott, Never Ask Me, Grand Central (1/19)

Those who enjoy unpredictable stories can never go wrong diving into the world of Jeff Abbott.”—The Washington Post

Mindy Mejia, Strike Me Down, Atria/Emily Bestler Books (1/19)

“A twisty, unpredictable plot.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Emma Copley Eisenberg, The Third Rainbow Girl, Hachette Books (1/19)

“Evocative and elegantly paced…The Third Rainbow Girl is not just a masterly examination of a brutal unsolved crime, which leads us through many surprising twists and turns and a final revelation about who the real killer might be…It’s also an unflinching interrogation of what it means to be female in a society marred by misogyny, where women hitchhiking alone are harshly judged, even blamed for their own murders.”—The New York Times Book Review

Joe Ide, Hi Five, Mulholland (1/26)

“Mystery and detection compete with a gorgeous swarm of supercharged personalities on their own wild rides.”—Kirkus

Liv Constantine, The Wife Stalker, Harper (1/26)

“The Wife Stalker is skillfully constructed and fast-paced—a mischievously tense and engaging novel filled with plenty of twists and turns that keep readers spellbound and guessing until the very final page.”
— New York Journal of Books

Kate Weinberg, The Truants, Putnam (1/26)

“[A] hypnotic debut. . . . An] uncommonly clever whodunit.”—New York Times Book Review