Here are 25 of the best novels to come out in paperback this month, as selected by the CrimeReads editors.
*
William Kent Krueger, Apostle’s Cove
(Atria)
Publication Date: July 7
“Krueger’s dialogue has the truthful quality of any small town in America. It’s as if the reader just dropped into a local diner, listening in on a conversation between people who have known each other for a lifetime.”–The Epoch Times
P.J. Tracy, The Deepest Cut
(Crooked Lane)
Publication Date: July 7
“It’s good to have the gang back . . . A series that combines humor with deadly plots.” –Twin Cities Pioneer Press
Ruth Ware, The Woman in Suite 11
(Gallery/Scout)
Publication Date: July 7
[A] large and colorful cast, each member of which is depicted with care. Ms. Ware’s reputation as an ingenious crafter of modern suspense remains intact. –Wall Street Journal
Elly Griffiths, The Frozen People
(Penguin Books)
Publication Date: July 7
“The historical sections are well researched, and Griffiths not only succeeds in making the implausible plausible, but leaves enough narrative breadcrumbs to make us long for more.” –The Guardian
Zoe B. Wallbrook, History Lessons
(Soho Crime)
Publication Date: July 7
“Clever, quirky, and full of heart, History Lessons is a cozy mystery for the academics and romantics among us.” –Shondaland
Stacey Abrams, Coded Justice
(Vintage)
Publication Date: July 7
“Through politics, fiction and her latest novel, Stacey Abrams aims to inspire action…. Avery Keene has unraveled international conspiracies and investigated mysteries involving the Supreme Court, but now she’s focused on what could be a deadly side of artificial intelligence.” –NPR
Michael Bennett, Carved in Blood
(Atlantic Crime)
Publication Date: July 14
“Straightforward in both style and substance . . . Each plot turn is convincing and each character fully rounded in a setting that Mr. Bennett obviously loves but also sees clearly.”–Wall Street Journal
Anna Bruno, Fine Young People
(Algonquin)
Publication Date: July 14
“Fine Young People is an exciting, thoughtful meditation on the importance of success, wealth, and despair…”–Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mark Edwards, The Wasp Nest
(Atria)
Publication Date: July 14
“[S]mart, propulsive and peppered with devilishly clever red herrings.” –The New York Times
Katie Collom, Peter Miles Has To Die
(Bantam)
Publication Date: July 14
“What happens when three women decide to avenge the murder of their best friend? In her riveting debut, Katie Collum explores what we owe the ones we love, and how ordinary life can change in an instant.” —Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters
Polly Stewart, The Felons’ Ball
(Harper Perennial)
Publication Date: July 14
“The Felon’s Ball is an engaging mystery about family secrets, facing the past, and the choices you make.”–San Diego Book Review
Tess Sharpe, No Body, No Crime
(Picador)
Publication Date: July 14
“Readers who love rooting for antiheroes, or are hungry for queer stories that don’t put queerness at the very center, will adore this.”–Publishers Weekly
Mark Billingham, What the Night Brings
(Atlantic Crime)
Publication Date: July 21
“Thorne is back in an explosive mystery-within-a-mystery . . . The revelations that end the book are genuinely upsetting, leaving major unfinished business on the table and readers wanting more.”–Air Mail
Janice Hallett, The Killer Question
(Atria)
Publication Date: July 21
“Hallett is at the top of her game. It’s a wickedly satisfying ride.”–Publishers Weekly
Christina Dodson, Love You To Death
(Bantam)
Publication Date: July 21
“[T]his debut novel is spectacular because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still managing to spin a deliciously gripping tale.”–Ms. Magazine
Preston & Child, Badlands
(Grand Central)
Publication Date: July 21
“This is another great Preston & Child novel, with lots of twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Fans of this series will be happy with this one.”–Red Carpet Crash
Alex Pavesi, Ink Ribbon Red
(Holt Paperbacks)
Publication Date: July 21
“Today’s greatest exponent of playful detective fiction.”–The Guardian
Archer Sullivan, The Witch’s Orchard
(Minotaur)
Publication Date: July 21
“The narrative is linear, relatable and revealing… And the ending, just—wow!” –BookPage
Stacy Willingham, Forget Me Not
(Minotaur)
Publication Date: July 21
“Not unlike her stone-cold villains, Willingham leaves little to chance when it comes to gripping her reader’s rapt attention.”–Charleston City Paper
Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
(Minotaur)
Publication Date: July 21
“Bursting with personality, this cozy whodunit will have you hankering for both answers and a slice of sweet potato pie.” –Good Housekeeping
Samantha Downing, Too Old for This
(Berkley)
Publication Date: July 28
“A smart, hilarious thriller.”–People
Alexis Solovski, Flashout
(Flatiron)
Publication Date: July 28
“[Soloski] skillfully combines the theatrical suspense of M.L. Rio with the horror-quirk of David Lynch in a cautionary tale of a guerrilla performance gone very, very wrong….” –BookPage
Jo Nichols, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective
(Minotaur)
Publication Date: July 28
“Superb characterizations and a denouement that leaves you still unsure who’s guilty make for a brilliantly quirky mystery.”–Kirkus Reviews
Joe Pan, Florida Palms
(Simon and Schuster)
Publication Date: July 28
“Award-winning poet Joe Pan confidently delivers an uncompromising look at the criminal underworld of Central Florida…Florida Palms ushers in a new talent.”–Sun Sentinel
Nicci Cloke, Her Many Faces
(William Morrow)
Publication Date: July 28
“Cloke’s narrative conceit pays off….allowing readers to piece together their own portraits of Katherine from the fragments provided. This grips from the first page and doesn’t let go.” –Publishers Weekly
