Marilyn's Mystery Reads

It’s time for my list of the best mysteries published this year.  As always, there were so many excellent crime novels that came out in 2025 that it’s hard to choose among them, but I’ve picked a baker’s dozen, including one with an asterisk.

As has been true for the last several years, my choices range geographically around the world–the United States, Ukraine, England, Ireland–and various time periods–today, pre-World War II, the medieval period.  Both women and men are protagonists and villains, and both women and men are the authors featured.

A number of these books discuss topics that are so timely in today’s world–racism, ageism, anti-Semitism, for example–that one can hardly consider crime fiction as escapism.  Also interesting is that on my list are authors who have written many mysteries as well as authors who published their first book this year.  Following are my choices:

HAVOC by Christopher Bolen; CHAIN REACTION by James Byrne; EDGE by Tracy Clark; HER MANY FACES by Nicci Cloke; TOO OLD FOR THIS by Samantha Downing; MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin*; THE QUEEN OF FIVES by Alex Hay; NEMESIS by Gregg Hurwitz; THE DEEPEST FAKE by Daniel Kalla; MIDNIGHT BURNING by Paul Levine;  HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER by Adrian McKinty; HOTEL UKRAINE by Martin Cruz Smith; THE MAILMAN by Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

The reason Ariana Franklin’s novel has an asterisk following it is because it was published in 2007.  I had never heard of the author until I serendipitously found it on a shelf in my local library, and I was struck both by the title and the cover art.  It’s great when that happens, just another reminder of how many wonderful mysteries there are yet to be discovered.  And if you’d like to send me a list of your favorites published in 2025, I’d be delighted to read it.

All my best wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2026.  And please do keep reading.

Regards,

Marilyn