The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Mystery& Detective

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton

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Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton
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Another funny and unputdownable murder mystery/killing spree from the author of Don’t Swipe Right!. Bridget Jones meets I Know What You Did Last Summer in this page-turner about a small British town with a dark past, and the four deadbeat flatmates that get caught up in it when an online sleuth shows up at their door. The hilarious narration from protagonist Kirby is just as entertaining as the mystery itself, which unfolds in a fast-paced dual-timeline format. It’s like Chilton can’t help but write fabulous and unfortunate characters you’re bound to fall in love with!

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton, (List Price: $19, Gallery/Scout Press, 9781668094174, December 2025)

Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson

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The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson
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Christoffer Carlsson writes another moody, fast-paced Swedish crime thriller. The time is Christmas Eve 1999, just before Y2K. Police are called to the grisly scene of a wrecked car with the body of a teenager beaten to death in the trunk. The small community has many secrets of passion, envy, and fear, and the police never fully solve the mystery. Then, 20 years later, another murder occurs that seems connected to the first. An edge-of-your-seat mystery that keeps you guessing and an ending that I did not see coming!

The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson, (List Price: $29, Hogarth, 9780593733059, December 2025)

Reviewed by Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

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This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki

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This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki
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What a pair! Thrilled to see Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux team up for This Place Kills Me, bringing together their signature skills in creating wonderful misfit weird girls to this beautifully drawn, dark, theatrical mystery. Set at an all-girls boarding school in the ’80s/’90s, I couldn’t put this book down as the secrets of the Wilberton Theatrical Society spilled out in devastating and compelling ways.

This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki, (List Price: $26.99, Abrams Fanfare, 9781419768460, August 2025)

Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina

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No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar

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No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar
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A powerful addition to the trope of a dying woman leaving instructions that will change lives. In this instance, Nazia is all too aware that her closest family and friends all hold very different stories about her. All the misunderstandings and lies fall apart on one fateful night, and no one will be the same again. All the varying perspectives are skillfully arranged and prove the power of stories.

No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar, (List Price: $16.99, Neem Tree Press, 9781911107743, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
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Hey, peeps, stop giving out your personal information and password question answers! When Vera Wong (not Wang the designer, Wong the tea house owner and sometimes detective) gets snookered into giving the “police” her SSN and emailing them a copy of her ID, it snowballs quickly into a trip to the police station in person and Vera starting another adoption cycle of people of interest. How can you not be charmed by Vera “gathering a bunch of new people who are obviously slightly terrified and brazenly accusing them of murder”? And feeding them, of course. I am really needing some homemade Chinese food right about now.

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593546253, April 2025)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli

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The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli
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A love letter to cozy mysteries and the Golden Age writers, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. The four women take on a mystery to prove their mettle. The result is a good puzzle and perhaps will lead to a renewed interest in their own novels.

The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli, (List Price: $29.99, Crooked Lane Books, 9798892420600, March 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Strange Pictures by Uketsu

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Strange Pictures by Uketsu
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If you are looking for a fresh and unique horror/mystery, then you have come to the right place. This book is fairly slow-paced, but it lays out such an intricate and layered story that you have to make sure you are paying attention to every detail. While also talking about the many complex emotions humans feel and the sometimes deadly, decisions we make because of them.

Strange Pictures by Uketsu, (List Price: $17.99, HarperVia, 9780063433083, January 2025)

Reviewed by Brianna Lloyd, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Detective Beans by Li Chen

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Detective Beans by Li Chen
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This might actually be the cutest thing I have ever read. I\’m not lying when I say that I shed a tear because my body could not handle how cute it was (and from how hard I was laughing).Bonus points – I have a cat named Beans so it was so sweet thinking about her playing detective kitty.

Detective Beans by Li Chen, (List Price: $12.99, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9781524882587, October 2024)

Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke

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She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke
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The zany cast of characters and twisty mystery of Knives Out meets the witty banter, humor, and swoony romance of an Emily Henry novel in this fresh and incredibly fun murder mystery/romantic comedy! I loved every second of She Doesn’t Have a Clue! Kate is a relatable and hilarious protagonist, the author of a best-selling cozy mystery series, who finds herself being framed for the poisoning of her ex-fiancé’s new bride during a disastrous wedding weekend at a creepy manor on a private island. And the only person willing to help her with her investigation is Jake, her former best friend and certified hot Australian, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in two years (after an attempted kiss gone wrong). Kate and Jake’s sizzling chemistry, the hilariously messy wedding guests, and fast-paced mystery make She Doesn’t Have a Clue undeniably unputdownable!

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke, (List Price: $17, Minotaur Books, 9781250354969, January 2025)

Reviewed by Emma Tara, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

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Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson
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Given how full the cozy mystery world is, new series need extra sparks to stand out. This one has puzzles plenty and instead of silly, quirky characters, there’s added maturity and emotional depth. This may be a small town story with a bookstore at its center, but it offers a new and enjoyable touch.

Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson, (List Price: $28, Minotaur Books, 9781250909954, December 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

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The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
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The Mistletoe Mystery is a sweet novella about Molly the maid, filled with lots of her Gran’s wonderful sayings. There are lots of Christmas festivities as Molly and Juan celebrate the days before Christmas. Molly is the only one who sees a mystery as you, the reader, will understand right away what is happening. But, then Molly never sees anything beyond what is right in front of her nose.

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose, (List Price: $22, Ballantine Books, 9780593875445, October 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

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Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
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It’s short, it’s quirky, and absolutely a holiday treat of a read. Fewer pages doesn’t mean fewer complications or changes of missed clues. The trademark wry humor and references to classic mystery tropes still resonate and make this a playful and perfect gift to yourself or others.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson, (List Price: $19.99, Mariner Books, 9780063412866, October 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

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Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
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Pony Confidential galloped straight into my heart from page one. This cozy mystery is narrated by an ornery pony trying to clear the name of his beloved former owner Penny. It features rats, cats, birds, and dogs aiding our hero in his redemptive quest, and – oh, did I mention – this is based on The Odyssey? Easter eggs galore for the clever classicist. If you enjoyed playing spot-the-character in Demon Copperhead, just wait until you meet Circe the goat. Perfect for lovers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch, (List Price: $28, Berkley, 9780593640364, November 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Guide Me Home by Attica Locke

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Guide Me Home by Attica Locke
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The only thing wrong with this book is that it’s the end of a trilogy. A search for a missing college student exposes political hypocrisies and family trauma. By turns gut-wrenching, emotionally real, suspenseful, and hopeful. There may not be a next book in this series, but I’m looking forward to anything Locke writes next.

Guide Me Home by Attica Locke, (List Price: $29, Mulholland Books, 9780316494618, September 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally
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Petra has lost her beloved fiancé to a terrible accident and has declared that she won’t marry. This is not an acceptable answer in Regency era London. While Petra is defending her decision, a couple of women of her acquaintance die under mysterious circumstances. Petra is determined to get to the bottom of things with help from her maid Annie and other members of the Ton. She feels she is being successful when one of her sources ends up dead….

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally, (List Price: $18, Minotaur Books, 9781250867575, September 2024)

Reviewed by Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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