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A Mystery Maven's Favorite Whodunits, Thrillers, and Capers of 2020

Kellye Garrett's first novel, Hollywood Homicide, was released in August 2017 and won the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for best first novel. Hollywood Ending, the second book in her Detective by Day mystery series, was chosen a best mystery of 2018 by Suspense Magazine, Book Riot, and CrimeReads. In addition to being featured on the TODAY show’s Best Summer Reads of 2019, it was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original and a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Novel. She lost both awards, but to really cool people, so it was OK, she swears! In addition to writing, Garrett currently serves on the national Board of Directors of Sisters in Crime and is a cofounder of Crime Writers of Color alongside Walter Mosley and Gigi Pandian. Her most recent project is an #ownvoices domestic suspense novel about a woman looking into the overdose death of a onetime reality star found within blocks of her house—her own estranged younger sister. Books have always been my happy place, which made them that much more vital in a year when a lot of us didn’t have much to be happy about. Having been quarantining since March, I turned to books to visit the places I couldn’t go and meet new characters, as I wasn’t able to meet people in real life.This year I went everywhere from the grim reality of a South Dakota Native American reservation to the fake reality of a shot-on-location movie set. I also had the chance to visit both Brooklyn and the Florida Panhandle, hang out with reformed getaway drivers and more than one con artist, meet a pair of kick-butt Black women private investigators and a pair of women trying to figure out what happened to their husbands.And, as you’ll see, I’m already planning my itinerary for next year.I think I’ve read more books this year than the past three years combined—both new and new-to-me. So much so that I started adding a “Last Five Books” read section to my email signature.But it also meant that when Goodreads asked me to pick my ten favorite books of 2020, it was harder than I thought. They could have asked me for my favorite 25 books this year and it still wouldn’t have been enough. But I’ve done my best to narrow it down to my ten favorite this year. 46064313 Pretty as a Pictureby Elizabeth Little I’ve been a huge fan of Elizabeth Little since I read her crime fiction debut, Dear Daughter, in one sitting back in 2014. And though Dear Daughter’s Janie Jenkins would eat Pretty as a Picture’s Marissa Dahl for breakfast, Little’s new thriller still takes a wry look at celebrity while telling a twisty, character-driven story about what happens when Hollywood comes to an isolated Delaware island to shoot a film about the island’s most famous cold case. 49247317 And Now She's Goneby Rachel Howzell Hall Rachel Howzell Hall stepped away from her self-assured Detective Lou Norton to introduce us to newly minted Los Angeles PI Grayson Sykes. And Now She's Gone seamlessly borrows from several subgenres—noir, psychological suspense, even the humor in cozies—to create an unforgettable story and character while shining a light on what Black women have to deal with each and every day. 51182571 Blacktop Wastelandby S.A. Cosby S.A. Cosby’s #ownvoices story about a Black getaway driver in rural Virginia forced to do one last score puts you right in the passenger seat of this story about what one must do to take care of one’s family. Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a beautifully written, beautifully flawed character, and our genre is better for S.A. Cosby having written Blacktop Wasteland. 52625942 Pretty Thingsby Janelle Brown I listened to Janelle Brown’s twisty novel, about a grifter who must confront her past for her final scam, on my daily walks to get out of the house and would gasp out loud at least once each day. Nina and Vanessa are two thoroughly modern characters who deserve each other. Pretty Things is as fascinating as a perfectly planned Instagram influencer post. 48714765 From Beer to Eternityby Sherry Harris Like Rachel Howzell Hall, Sherry Harris stepped away from her acclaimed first series, about a New England garage sale aficionado, to introduce us to a whole new world: the Florida Panhandle. Chloe is younger and not as put together as Harris’ other series lead, but she’s just as likable. From Beer to Eternity has all the hallmarks that you love in the cozy genre—unique location, interesting characters, good twists—in a way that makes them feel fresh and unexpected. 51653439 They're Goneby E.A. Barres E.A. Barres (a pseudonym for Anthony-nominated author E.A. Aymar) finally hits the mainstream with They’re Gone, about two vastly different women who find they have more in common than they bargained for when both their husbands are murdered on the same night. Barres manages to put his own unique take on the husband-with-secrets trope while perfectly balancing violence with grief. 48636190 The Lady Upstairsby Halley Sutton As fun as it is sexy, Halley Sutton’s debut crackles while telling the story of Jo, a woman whose job it is to take down Los Angeles’ most corrupt men by any means necessary. But when one of those men ends up dead, Jo branches out on her own to do one more score to protect herself and the boss she secretly is in love with from their evil boss, The Lady Upstairs. 49398072 When No One Is Watchingby Alyssa Cole Alyssa Cole is one of the leading romance writers publishing today, but When No One Is Watching proves she can master any genre she wants to write. She takes the timely issue of gentrification and uses it to tell a shocking story about what happens to Sydney Green and her beloved Brooklyn neighborhood when they get too many new neighbors with bad intentions. 48678117 Winter Countsby David Heska Wanbli Weiden David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s debut, Winter Counts, shows why it’s so essential that people of color are allowed to tell our own stories. It’s as much an unflinching look at living on an Indian reservation as it is a heart-pounding thriller about Virgil Wounded Horse, a local enforcer who attempts to take down a drug cartel after their organization hits way too close to home. 53048030 What You Don't Seeby Tracy Clark Tracy Clark won the Sue Grafton Memorial Award earlier this year for her Chicago Mystery series, and it’s extremely fitting because of her Cass Raines, a tough-talking yet vulnerable cop turned PI with Daddy issues. The third book, What You Don’t See, is why I love this series. It allows us to watch Cass still struggle with the fallout of being shot on the job years ago while also telling a fun, well-plotted story about her protecting an Oprah-like local celebrity who isn’t what she seems. 2021 Preview There are quite a few gems on my 2021 radar, including: 54886959 Arsenic and Adoboby Mia P. Manansala As much as I love cozies, the subgenre hasn’t always been known for breaking barriers when it comes to marginalized main characters. Luckily things have changed over the past few years and we can add Mia P. Manansala’s Filipino American culinary cozy series to our bookshelves. The story focuses on Lila Macapagal, who must figure out what happened to the food critic—her ex—who died at her family restaurant before they’re shut down permanently. 55654025 Bath Hausby P.J. Vernon Like cozies, the domestic suspense subgenre isn’t necessarily known for diverse main characters, which is why I’m so excited for P.J. Vernon’s story about a young gay man trying to hide a transgression from his husband. I can’t wait to meet Oliver Park. 53330832 A Glimmer of Deathby Valerie Wilson Wesley Valerie Wilson Wesley broke barriers when she published the first in her Tamara Hayle series, about a Black woman PI in Essex County, New Jersey, in 1994. After expanding to write both romance and paranormal, she’s come back to the crime fiction genre with a paranormal cozy about a Black psychic who must investigate when the boss at the real estate firm where she works is killed. 54492661 Lightseekersby Femi Kayode I read a lot of U.S.-set crime fiction, so I’ve made a vow to step outside my comfort zone next year, and Lightseekers’ examination of the Nigerian sociopolitical landscape feels like the perfect book to do that. The story focuses on an investigative psychologist tasked with looking into what happened to three murdered college students. 54924108 The Elephant Fighterby Wanda Morris Wanda Morris is another much-needed voice in a thriller genre that John Grisham has perfected for decades now. Her upcoming debut introduces us to Ellice Littlejohn, a Black, on-the-rise Atlanta corporate attorney who’s tapped to replace her boss—and crush—when he’s mysteriously killed. But the promotion turns up way too many secrets, both in her professional and personal lives. Plus, one more! Information on multiple award-winning author Lori Rader-Day’s new book, Death at Greenway, is scarce, but as soon as I heard Agatha Christie, I was all in. The story focuses on a nurse-in-training who flees Blitz-torn London and her own mistakes only to find herself at the holiday retreat of Agatha Christie. Of course, there’s dead bodies. [Goodreads checked with Rader-Day about her new book, and she says to look for it in October] Fellow fans of mystery, what are some of your top reads of 2020? Share your picks with us in the comments. Check out more recent articles:Goodreads Members Suggest: Favorite Winter Reads Goodreads Staffers Share Their Top Three Books of the Year 33 Reader-Approved, Highly Rated Fiction to Discover Now posted by Cybil on November, 30

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