Closer by Sea

In 1991, on a remote island off the Newfoundland coast, twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs grapples with the loss of his fisherman father, who disappeared at sea. Determined to fix his father's old boat and follow in his footsteps, Pierce faces a challenging life on the island as the local fishing industry teeters on the edge of collapse. The situation worsens when a young girl named Anna Tessier goes missing.

Pierce, along with his three friends, embarks on a quest to find Anna, bound by their unique connection with her. Their search leads them to Solomon Vickers, a reclusive fisherman with a mysterious past who may be linked to Anna's disappearance. 

The Only One Left

In 1929, Lenora Hope, at the age of seventeen, was implicated in the shocking and gruesome murders that occurred in the Hope family, a tragedy that scarred the Maine coast. Despite public belief, the police could never definitively prove her guilt. After the killings, Lenora remained secluded in Hope's End, the mansion where the massacre took place, and never publicly addressed the events. In 1983, Kit McDeere, a home-health aide, arrives at the decaying Hope's End to care for the elderly Lenora, who is wheelchair-bound and mute. Lenora communicates with Kit using an old typewriter, and one night, she makes a surprising offer: "I want to tell you everything."  

The Quiet Tenant

Aidan Thomas is a respected family man in a small upstate New York town, known for his helpful nature. However, he hides a dark secret: he's a kidnapper and serial killer responsible for eight murders, with a ninth victim, Rachel, held captive in a backyard shed. When Aidan's wife passes away, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecilia, must move. Aidan brings Rachel with them, passing her off as a "family friend." He believes Rachel, after years of captivity, is too fearful to escape. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she forms a fragile connection with Cecilia. Meanwhile, Emily, a local restaurant owner, becomes infatuated with Aidan and becomes entangled in Rachel and Cecilia's lives, coming dangerously close to uncovering Aidan's secret.

The Silent Patient

Alicia Berenson appears to lead a perfect life as a renowned painter married to a sought-after fashion photographer. However, her life takes a shocking turn when she shoots her husband Gabriel in the face five times after he returns late from a fashion shoot. Alicia's subsequent silence turns the tragedy into a captivating mystery that captivates the public. She is confined to the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London, shielded from the media. Enter Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who has long awaited the chance to work with Alicia. His determination to break her silence and uncover the reasons behind the shooting leads him down a complex path, forcing him to confront his own motivations.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

In a secluded Polish village, Janina leads a solitary life during the harsh winter, delving into astrology, translating William Blake's poetry, and tending to the summer homes of affluent Warsaw residents. She is known as an eccentric recluse with a strong preference for the company of animals over people. When her neighbour, Big Foot, is found dead, and more bodies turn up in increasingly bizarre circumstances, suspicion intensifies. Janina becomes involved in the investigation, convinced that she knows the culprit, but struggles to get anyone to take her seriously.

Holly 

In Stephen King's latest novel, "Holly," the beloved character Holly Gibney returns, having evolved from a shy but brave recluse to a smart private detective. Holly finds herself facing an unsettling case when Penny Dahl reaches out to the Finders Keepers detective agency in search of her missing daughter. Despite her partner Pete's illness and personal troubles, Holly is compelled to investigate. The trail leads to Professors Rodney and Emily Harris, seemingly respectable octogenarians with a dark secret hidden in their basement. Holly faces a formidable challenge in trying to outwit these cunning, patient, and ruthless adversaries. As she delves into this  Holly must use all her skills to uncover the shocking truth.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

In a story that combines Jane Austen's characters with Agatha Christie-like mystery, Mr. Knightley and Emma host a party at their country estate, bringing together relatives and acquaintances. The uninvited guest, Mr. Wickham, is widely disliked due to his latest financial schemes. Tensions rise, secrets are unveiled, and it becomes evident that most people would be pleased to see Mr. Wickham get what he deserves. However, their shock deepens when Wickham is found murdered, and the killer is among them. As nearly everyone at the house party becomes a suspect, the task of solving the mystery falls to the youngest guests: Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, Mr. Darcy's eldest son. 

All the Sinners Bleed

Titus Crown makes history as the first Black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia, a place known for its quiet and low crime rate in recent decades. A year after Titus's election, a schoolteacher is murdered by a former student, leading to a confrontation with Titus's deputies that ends in the student's death. As Titus delves into the investigations, he uncovers a series of heinous crimes and a serial killer who has been lurking beneath the town's serene surface. As Titus works to solve the case, he grapples with his own painful past, all while dealing with a far-right group that seeks to organize a parade celebrating the town's Confederate history. 

We Spread

Penny, an aging artist, has spent decades in her apartment surrounded by the memories of her long life. As she resigns herself to the routines of old age, her life takes a dramatic turn when she experiences a series of disorienting incidents. Her late partner had made arrangements for her to move to a unique long-term care residence, and Penny finds herself there. At first, life in the facility seems idyllic, she even regains her passion for painting. However, as the days start to blend together, Penny's sense of time and her place in the world begin to slip away. She grapples with a growing sense of unease and distrust, questioning whether her mental decline is simply a consequence of aging or if there's something more unsettling at play.

Bright Young Women

The story begins on a Saturday night in 1978, just hours before a notorious murderer strikes a Florida sorority house with deadly consequences. The survivors, including sorority president Pamela Schumacher, are forever marked by the tragic event. Meanwhile, across the country, Tina Cannon believes her missing friend was targeted by the man known as the All-American Sex Killer and fears he has struck again. Their quests for justice intersect as they join forces, embarking on a relentless search for answers that culminates in a shocking final confrontation.

West Heart Kill

In an isolated hunt club nestled in upstate New York, private detective Adam McAnnis reunites with an old college friend for a Bicentennial weekend. The West Heart club, home to a cast of wealthy, scheming, and unfaithful characters, soon becomes the backdrop for a chilling mystery. As a raging storm engulfs the area, the discovery of a member's body at the lake's edge sets the stage for a suspenseful series of events. Over the course of the weekend, three corpses are found within four days, and the tension among the not-entirely-friendly strangers escalates. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will have met their demise, leaving McAnnis to unravel a complex web of secrets.

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

In the cozy English countryside, the residents of Sunset Hall, a house share for elderly individuals, lead relatively uneventful lives filled with typical challenges related to aging. However, their morning takes an unexpected turn when a police officer delivers shocking news of a nearby murder. As they maintain a façade of concern, secretly relieved the victim isn't the one they're hiding in the shed, Agnes and her fellow seniors see an opportunity. If they can uncover the identity of the murderer, they can potentially shift suspicion away from themselves and pin the death of the person in their shed on the new culprit.

Maidens of the Cave

Christine Prusik, a forensic anthropologist known for her unique problem-solving skills, is faced with a series of unusual murders involving young women found in caves across Indiana and Illinois. Eager to get to the bottom of the case, Christine faces resistance from her Chicago field office, which is undergoing a reorganization that prioritizes bureaucratic paperwork over solving the murders. Unwilling to let bureaucracy stand in her way, Christine dives into the investigation. She discovers a common thread among the victims: a mysterious pin-sized bruise on the back of their necks. 

The Last Devil to Die

In the fourth instalment of the Thursday Murder Club series, the eclectic group of detectives faces a new mystery. Shocking news arrives when they learn that an old friend has been murdered, and a valuable package he was safeguarding has disappeared.

The club's investigation leads them into the world of the antiques business, where age-old tricks are as ancient as the objects themselves. Along the way, they encounter drug dealers, art forgers, and online fraudsters, all while dealing with personal heartaches. As the body count rises, time is running out, and they find themselves in peril. With danger hot on their heels, they question who they can trust. 

Murder Your Employer

The McMasters Conservatory is a unique institution dedicated to perfecting the art of homicide. To gain admission, students must possess a compelling moral reason to eliminate a person who unquestionably deserves no fate other than death. The campus, known only to its inhabitants, is where students practice targeting their classmates and where their mandatory graduation thesis is the flawless execution of a murder that will improve the world. This darkly humorous tale offers a blend of witty wordplay, unexpected plot twists, and genuine intrigue.