I have a guilty pleasure.  It’s reading murder mysteries.  Mostly detective novels, but really, I get sucked in by any good mystery. I don’t want to examine why it is that I love a good murder mystery, it’s just a fact and it’s really my only demon, so I feed the demon. To the tune of two books a week.  I have compiled a list of my favorites so that you too can fall down this rabbit hole with me.  Here is my Summer Reading List for Mystery Fans.  ***I have included affiliate links in this post for your convenience.  If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for supporting Lifestyle for Real Life!***

Summer Reading List for Mystery Fans

First, a word on how I read.  I read on my phone through the Kindle app. I also own a Kindle which I have passed down to my son to use as both an eReader and a tablet.  If you’re looking for an inexpensive eReader and tablet, the Kindle is a great choice at under $50.  I enjoyed reading on it because it felt more like a book.  Now my son uses it for reading and watching Youtube and playing games and I’ve grown attached to reading from the Kindle app on my phone.  I love knowing that I have access to literally 1 million books at the click of a button.  And because I read so much, I love that Kindle offers TONS of books at low prices.  I generally don’t pay over $5 for any books and most often $1.99 or less.  If there’s a title I want to read that is more than that, I will usually download the free sample first to be sure that I really want to spend money on it.

My Sister’s Grave – Robert Dugoni – This is book number one in a series of five books about Detective Tracy Crosswhite.  I like that the author draws you into the series with a very personal story in this first book.  You get to know Tracy and you root for her.  And then you read the next few books in the series in quick succession!  If you want to download the whole series at once, you can do so here: Detective Tracy Crosswhite Series.

Stillhouse Lake – Rachel Caine – This book is also one in a series, but I literally just finished it, so I haven’t gotten to any of the others yet.  If you buy one book on this list, make it this one.  THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD THAT I HAVE TO YELL AT YOU ABOUT IT!  Seriously, this book is written from a perspective that I have not ever seen done before. And I read A Lot.  You will love the strong female lead.  Please, buy this book.

Orient: A Novel – Christopher Bollen – One thing I love about reading is being transported to a place.  I love a book that makes the setting, real or fictional, become almost like a memory to me.  Orient does that.  You get to know the people, the neighborhood, the terrain.  And there’s an interesting mystery wrapped up in there, too!

Dead Souls – Angela Marsons – Dead Souls is book 6 of a series.  You should start at book one, but you don’t have to.  This one is set in Great Britain and DI Kim Stone is the lead.  I’ve read all six and am eagerly awaiting #7. If you’d like to purchase all 6 books at once, you can do so here: Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series.

Cold Granite – Stuart Macbride – Another British detective series.  I love this series.  The stories are great.  The characters are great.  It’s a cliche, but these are the types of books you pick up and then can’t put down.  Like, you’re lying in bed willing your eyes to stay open so you can read one more chapter and suddenly it’s 3:47am and you figure, might as well make a night of it and finish the book in one sitting. One really long, exhausting sitting that you will pay for the next day. I would like to link you to all of the books in this series, but unfortunately Amazon does not have them bundled!

Now, it’s your turn.  What should I read next?  I do occasionally branch out of mysteries, so let me know your recommendations, mystery or not!