CBTB’s Most-Anticipated November 2022 Crime Fiction
I honestly can’t believe it’s already November—but I’m not complaining! I (obviously) believe that thrillers and mystery novels can (and should!) be read year-round, but there’s something undeniably perfect about cozying up with a great crime novel as the weather gets colder. This month has an amazing lineup of new crime novels in store for us, and today I’m rounding up my picks for most-anticipated new crime, mystery, and suspense novels publishing in November 2022! This month sees the return of a couple of my longtime favorite authors, plus new installments in Nordic crime series I’m loving, a chilling isolated location thriller, and more. Whether you’re hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this month’s selection of new releases has you covered. A few of the books on this list I’ve already been lucky enough to read, and the rest of them are all on my personal to-read pile for the weeks ahead—but I’m excited about all of them. Read on for my picks for November most-anticipated crime fiction!
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THE QUARRY GIRLS by Jess Lourey
Available November 1
Why I’m Excited:
If you love dark psychological suspense with a true crime-inspired edge, Jess Lourey’s work needs to be on your radar. The author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline returns this month with THE QUARRY GIRLS, a story of girls gone missing in a small Minnesota community in the 1970’s. Lourey’s recent thrillers have been inspired by real crimes that took place in her home state of Minnesota, and that remains true with THE QUARRY GIRLS. Lourey writes about dark topics with sensitivity and care, and her immersive writing style wraps her sinister stories up in an almost dark fairytale-like atmosphere. I’ve absolutely loved the Jess Lourey crime novels I’ve read in the past, and I’m really looking forward to reading THE QUARRY GIRLS this month. (Bonus: if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, this book is included in KU!)
About the Book:
Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games.
Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.
Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents. But she can’t stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.
She also knows she’s next.
NIGHT SHADOWS by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Available November 1
Why I’m Excited:
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir is a rising star in the world of Nordic crime fiction, and this month, the third installment in her Forbidden Iceland series is published in the US! If you love brooding, intricate crime fiction driven by realistic and compelling characters, Eva’s novels will be right up your alley. Her series takes place in the small community of Akranes, Iceland, and follows a complex detective protagonist (Elma) and her colleagues as they investigate crimes in the region. Eva’s writing is atmospheric, slow-burning, and immersive; fans of Ragnar Jonasson and Jørn Lier Horst will find her work right up their alley. NIGHT SHADOWS is on my to-read list this month as I prepare to head to Iceland for the Iceland Noir crime festival, and I’m so excited to dive in! This book has received tons of great early praise, with A.J. Finn calling it “virtuoso suspense writing” and Shari Lapena praising the book’s “completely unexpected twist.” Eva’s work remains a little bit of a hidden gem here in the US, and I can’t wait to dig into her newest crime novel.
About the Book:
The small community of Akranes is devastated when a young man dies in a mysterious house fire, and when Detective Elma and her colleagues from West Iceland CID discover the fire was arson, they become embroiled in an increasingly perplexing case involving multiple suspects. What’s more, the dead man’s final online search raises fears that they could be investigating not one murder, but two.
A few months before the fire, a young Dutch woman takes a job as an au pair in Iceland, desperate to make a new life for herself after the death of her father. But the seemingly perfect family who employs her turns out to have problems of its own and she soon discovers she is running out of people to turn to.
As the police begin to home in on the truth, Elma, already struggling to come to terms with a life-changing event, finds herself in mortal danger as it becomes clear that someone has secrets they’ll do anything to hide…
Previous Books in the Series:
THE LAST PARTY by Clare Mackintosh
Available November 8
Why I’m Excited:
Clare Mackintosh has been a staple of CBTB since the very beginning, and I am so excited that Clare’s newest book THE LAST PARTY is finally coming out in the US this month. Clare has previously written standalone suspense novels, and THE LAST PARTY marks her first foray into series detective fiction. Let’s be honest, I’ll read anything that Clare Mackintosh writes, but I’m particularly excited about her newest release thanks to the comparisons it has earned to the work of Agatha Christie. I also happen to love crime novels that delve into the complexities and quirks of small-town life, and it sounds like this book has a strong thread like that in store for readers, too! As if I needed even more convincing to read this one, THE LAST PARTY has also received amazing early praise: it’s been called “wicked fun, devilishly clever” by Patricia Cornwell, and “brilliant” by Ruth Ware… sign me up. I’m always looking for a new crime fiction series to dig into, and this looks right up my alley! Any new Clare Mackintosh novel is reason to celebrate, but THE LAST PARTY sounds like something really special.
About the Book:
At midnight, one of them is dead. By morning, all of them are suspects.
It's the party to end all parties….but not everyone is here to celebrate.
On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he's generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.
But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.
On New Year's Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family―and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.
With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.
In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning.
SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger
Available November 8
Why I’m Excited:
Show me a thriller set in an isolated location (think: a cabin in the woods, as is the case in Lisa Unger’s newest outing) and I’ll show you a thriller I simply must read. I can truly never resist suspense novels that use isolated settings to amp up the tension and raise the stakes for their characters, and if that’s true for you, too, then you’ll want to add Lisa Unger’s SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX to your TBR pile! I read SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX this summer and tore through it. This chilling suspense novel leans into the creepy side of vacation, playing with the fact that, thanks to services like Airbnb and Vrbo, we willingly enter strangers’ homes without knowing hardly anything about our hosts—or the secrets that might be lurking on their property. I recently watched a couple horror movies that played with this exact same concept (The Rental on Netflix and Barbarian on HBO Max!), and while Lisa Unger’s thriller goes in very different directions than those two novels, they’re all playing with the same sinister reality: you just never really know whose house you’re staying in. True to form, Lisa’s writing in SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX is page-turning and addictive—think a blend of a “popcorn thriller” + an isolated location plot. This one is a page-turner!
About the Book:
What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It'll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.
But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare.
A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.
How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?
A SLIVER OF DARKNESS by C.J. Tudor
Available November 8
Why I’m Excited:
After a bit of a hiatus, C.J. Tudor is back! One of my favorite authors for quite a while now, Tudor returns this month with a short story collection brimming with tales of the sinister, strange, and suspenseful. I’ve read about half of the stories included in this collection so far, and I’m absolutely loving them. All of the stories included in A SLIVER OF DARKNESS blend elements of suspense and horror to pitch-perfect effect. My personal favorite story (so far, anyway!) takes readers to a post-apocalyptic world that feels all the more frightening because it just doesn’t seem that implausible—a world in which a deadly virus has made life on earth impossible, and a group of survivors have established their own community on a cruise ship that simply never docks. But within this bizarre little ecosystem on the high seas, dark secrets are lurking. This is just one example of the spine-tingling, horror-inspired tales that C.J. Tudor has in store for readers in this collection. C.J. Tudor’s love of all things creepy is on full display in this collection; if you’re in the market for some sinister, horror-inspired short stories this fall, A SLIVER OF DARKNESS is for you. (And mark your calendars: C.J. will return with her new novel THE DRIFT in January!)
About the Book:
Time slips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor’s novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.
In “The Lion at the Gate,” a strange piece of graffiti leads to a terrifying encounter for four school friends. In “Final Course,” the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In “Runaway Blues,” thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In “Gloria,” a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a coldhearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in “I’m Not Ted,” a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen fatal consequences.
Riveting, macabre, and explosively original, A Sliver of Darkness is C. J. Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited.
THE COLLECTOR by Anne Mette Hancock
Available November 8
Why I’m Excited:
Anne Mette Hancock’s crime fiction series is one of my favorite recent discoveries in the world of Nordic Noir! This month, Hancock returns with THE COLLECTOR, the second installment in her series featuring journalist Heloise Kaldan and police officer Erik Scháfer. Hancock’s debut novel THE CORPSE FLOWER was widely praised, and for good reason, but I honestly found this second installment in the series to be an even stronger book. THE COLLECTOR blends so many elements that always keep me coming back for more with Nordic crime fiction, from an atmospheric, moody setting to a cast of richly-developed characters and a compelling, intricately-woven mystery to solve. An added bonus: Hancock expertly balances procedural elements with an outsider’s perspective, giving readers both the inside scoop on her story’s police investigation through the character of Erik Scháfer, while also giving us Heloise’s perspective as a journalist investigating the same crimes from outside the confines of police procedure. I loved the way these two characters’ investigations play off one another and work to give the reader a 360-degree view of the story’s central mystery. I tore through THE COLLECTOR on an airplane ride this summer and did not want this gripping crime story to end. I’m already eagerly anticipating whatever Hancock writes next!
About the Book:
When 10-year-old Lukas disappears from his Copenhagen school, police investigators discover that the boy had a peculiar obsession with pareidolia—a phenomenon that makes him see faces in random things. A photo on his phone posted just hours before his disappearance shows an old barn door that resembles a face. Journalist Heloise Kaldan thinks she recognizes the barn—but from where?
When Luke’s blood-flecked jacket is found in the moat at Copenhagen’s Citadel, DNA evidence points to Thomas Strand, an ex-soldier suffering from severe PTSD. But then Strand turns up dead in his apartment, shot in the head execution style.
What did the last person to see Lukas really witness that morning in the school yard? Was it really Lukas, or an optical illusion? Can you ever truly trust your eyes?
PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES:
Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.