10 Best Political Thrillers to TBR

I stayed up WAY TOO LATE reading this and regret nothing! What does Stevie Bell do after solving the Ellingham Academy cold case? She gets roped into solving another cold case–this time at a summer camp! There is a lot to love in Johnson’s originally mystery trilogy including her clear love and knowledge of the mystery genre and its broad appeal for teen and adult readers. Now she’s tossed in slasher films and the strange, intrusive, often times gross obsession with true crime. Because while Stevie herself is respectful and just trying to solve who murdered four camp counselors in the woods in the ’70s, the dude who “hired” her to solve it is just obsessed with making money off of a true crime podcast. Thankfully, Stevie is good at ignoring people and brings along two friends to the camp with her to focus on the mystery she’s determined to solve.

Johnson is so good at understanding the tropes crime readers love and giving them to you with a story that feels classic and fresh at the same time. Stevie is a wonderful character managing her anxiety, her immediate response to shy away from difficult emotions, and her immediate response to look at everything like a mystery and always think about how to solve crimes. If you enjoyed the trilogy I would absolutely pre-buy/request your library purchase the fourth installment (June 15th), and future you will be so grateful for past you who had this ready for you on release day. Haven’t read the previous books yet? I would get those read from here to June, BUT if you want to start with the 4th book you can. Johnson kindly doesn’t spoil the actual solve from the trilogy, and while you need to read those three in order this one felt like a standalone book that comes after the trilogy. And in case I wasn’t clear, run to this book!

More books? More books! My winning streak of nonfiction reads continues with the excellent Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, where Ijeoma Oluo takes a look at the damaging systems we have in place to deliberately benefit only a few, and the harming lasting effects this has had and why 2016 shouldn’t have been a shock. Definitely go with the audiobook narrated by Oluo if you audio buuuuuut you may also want a physical format that you can highlight. Mucho highlighting. Also, love that cover.

I am halfway through Dead of Winter (August Snow #3) by Stephen Mack Jones which is a series that gives me two things I love: mystery and action! Recommend for “gritty” crime fans and also for those who love Joe Ide’s IQ series.

And I got my greedy little hands on this upcoming mystery/thriller about trying to outrun your past that I am super excited about: My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa.

Here’s a great historical mystery–I say this about all of Kang’s books–currently on sale for $1.99. Come for the girl with two hearts and stay for the grave robbing and suspicious deaths! (Review)

Another historical mystery series for you, this time the start of a series which seems to have all the books in the series currently on sale for $0.99! (Review)

I swear I did not plan this to be so many historical mysteries it just happened! The sequel to A Death of No Importance is currently $2.99! (Review)