Best Book Ever- Mysteries
Welcome to Best Book Ever! This week we are looking for books that keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will come next....
Week 21: Best Mystery Ever
Has
there ever been a more perfect mystery than The Westing Game? I'll
answer that for you: No. I've read it so many times over the years and I
still get caught up in trying to discover new clues and new red
herrings. The book has plenty of each. As well as a dead body! A will! A
fortune! Explosions! And many, many characters who are not what they
seem. Sunset Towers may be a picturesque place to live, but it's also
brimming with lies and deception. If you've never read this book, I
dare you to play THE WESTING GAME.
As someone who doesn't read many mysteries, and tends to figure them out really fast, Stars in the Night was a happy surprise. It's a historical mystery, about old Hollywood during WWII - a tantalizing mix - and I was actually able to read through it with the characters, rather than figuring it all out early on. The characters are amazing, and what really drew me in, though the historical aspect is a happy perk. I need more mysteries like this, I think.
Rebecca @ A Word's Worth
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s mystery
recommendations. When I was a kid, I read a ton of mysteries, but after I
discovered science fiction and fantasy—and young adult fiction—mysteries
practically disappeared from my radar. Now I read lots of books that have elements of mystery, but primarily exist
within other genres. However, I still adore Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s SherlockHolmes stories and revisit them frequently, so I’m going to cheat a little this
week; my recommendation for best mystery book ever is The Complete Sherlock Holmes, which contains all four novels and
fifty-six stories in canon. I do think you should read them all, starting with
the first book, A Study in Scarlet,
which introduces Holmes and Dr. John Watson to each other as well as to
readers. But if you’re looking for a quick taste of the great consulting
detective before committing, some of my favorite stories include “The Adventure
of the Red-Headed League”, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, “The Adventure
of the Crooked Man”, and “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”. Fans of the Twilight series might be interested in
checking out “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire”. All of these stories can be
found online and in e-book form for free or cheap, so why don’t you drop by Baker Street and
let me know what you think?
E.C. Myers, debut author of Fair Coin (2012 Prometheus Books)
Coranne's Picks:
Because it was a light week for contributors, I decided to give you three of my favorite mystery picks. Now let me preface my picks by saying- you may not find these books in the mystery section- but they are oozing pure mystery!
Pick 1: And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) by Agatha Christie
First, there were ten a
curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private
island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire
unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests
have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal and a secret
that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One
by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none.
And only the dead are above suspicion.
I fell in love with this book as a teen. The book was everything I loved about a good mystery with- creepy, on the edge of your seat. However, this book lacked intense and gruesome violence- it simply didn't need it.
Pick 2: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again",
With these words, the
reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept
Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling
events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a
husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were
phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten a past devotedly preserved by
the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and
untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the
great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil
tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of
her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets
and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife the late and hauntingly
beautiful Rebecca.
I spent this entire book going, "HOLY COW WHAT IS GOING ON?" This is a book that you will not be able to put down and you will have to read in one sitting. Creepy, mysterious, and a little scary- this is an excellent mystery that should be on your TBR list.
Pick 3: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
Fierce, seductive
mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she
abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is
unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.
Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.
Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.
I know I know, you are saying, "but you already picked this for another week!" Well *blows a raspberry*. This is one of the creepiest mysteries I have ever read. Literally, it gave me nightmares and I had to hide the book under my bed so I could sleep (Yes I am almost 29, ha ha!) This book is a creepy puzzle that winds and twists its way through two centuries, thoroughly confusing the reader until everything ties together and comes to a complete ending. Why are you still here? Go pre-order this book!
So do you like our picks for best mystery? Check out next week's topic- Best Love Story!
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