The Best New Crime Fiction of May 2020
New month, new books! And if you’re here, it must be because you’re looking for murder and mayhem and mysteries to solve. Maybe some thrills, too? I’ve got those, plus a legal thriller and a cozy mystery with a delicious cover. Seriously, I want to lick it! Anyhoo, here are great mysteries and thrillers releasing in May that you should totally check out and read.
Looking for an edge-of-your-seat thriller? Check! Love following a journalist trying to get the scoop and solve the crime? Check! Can't resist the intensity of a fictional serial killer? Check! There’s so much to keep you entertained, on the edge of your seat, and turning the page late into the night as reporter Jack McEvoy–of course, against all advice and warnings–tracks down a serial killer who murdered a woman he knew, making him also a suspect… Everyone is in danger!
Bronwyn Crewse returns to her family’s Ohio ice cream shop with an MBA that isn’t going to be much help against construction delays, the weather, and a pesky thing like murder...you know, the dead guy in the snow outside her ice cream shop. That can't be good for business. Making matters worse, the dead man had a feud with her family. So, of course, her father is implicated in the murder. Bronwyn is going to have to work overtime to keep the business afloat and solve this murder! Thankfully, she has some help from quirky friends and close family–plus a ton of ice cream for comfort.
And now a legal thriller for procedural fans who love a nail-biter. Eighty-five-year-old defense lawyer Alejandro "Sandy" Stern is set to retire until an old friend, a Nobel Prize-winning doctor, is accused of a few crimes, including murder. Now Sandy will take one more case, which will challenge his friendship, his belief in truly knowing someone, and his faith in the judicial system–just to name a few challenges he'll be up against. Pull up a chair for this intense trial!
If PIs are where your mystery heart lies, I have a great Chicago PI for you! Cass Raines was a Chicago PD officer until a traumatic incident in which she was shot led to her resigning and taking up the PI badge instead. Raines has already solved the mystery of who murdered her priest (and literal father figure) and a boat murder, all while managing tenants in an apartment building. Now she’ll take on bodyguard duties for a woman on top of a media empire who is receiving death threats. This series is great for fans of found family, snark, witty dialogue, interesting characters (a nun that breaks the mold!), and great mystery solving!
Welcome to the latest Women's Murder Club. No, it’s not a group of women who commit murder–although I’d like to read that too, please. This Women’s Murder Club is a group of four women in San Francisco who meet up to eat, drink, chat, and, you know, solve murders. With a homicide detective, a crime desk reporter, a Chief Medical Examiner, and a district attorney making up this club, perps don’t stand a chance! Which I’m sure is the case (heh!) with their latest case, when three victims, in three different cities, are expertly shot and are all connected by their criminal activity. Uh-oh!
Related: The 10 Best Women's Murder Club Books by James Patterson
Here’s to your next great mystery and thriller read–I know you can solve the mystery first!
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Jamie Canavés is a Book Riot contributing editor and Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator. She writes the Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter, never says no to chocolate or ‘80s nostalgia, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. Tweets: @Oh_Dinky.