My Favorite Books of 2015: Mysteries and Thrillers

Welcome to my last and final installment of My Favorite Books of 2015. If you've missed my prior posts, be sure to scroll down and read them all. 

Today I'm taking about another favorite genre of mine: Mysteries and Thrillers. These books can be really tricky to write and when I get a good one, I'm ... thrilled!

Why did I pick these as my favorites?

Here's some of what I said about The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Bloomsbury)

"The Fixer was a fun, fast-paced story that had me flipping the pages like crazy. The story has a fish-out-of-water set-up and a Washington DC setting that brings in political elements.  Plus, Tess' big sister, Ivy, is a "fixer" like Olivia Pope in Scandal (or real life fixer Judy Smith, the woman Pope was reportedly based on.) The Fixer is also a story about family, as Tess and her big sister Ivy have to address their strained relationship. The Fixer was fun, gripping -- an all-around good read!"

Read my full review here! 

Here's (part of) what I said about Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty (Simon & Schuster)

"Most Sherlock inspired spin-offs focus on the wonderful pairing of the quirky, brilliant Holmes and the underappreciated, long-suffering Watson. But this diabolical book focuses on Holmes and Moriarty (a criminal mastermind and Holmes' mortal enemy, if you're not familiar with the guy). In fact, Lock & Mori is told from the point of view of Moriarty (who in this book happens to be a teenage girl!) and Holmes is relegated to the role of love interest and sidekick. The game is afoot!

Though a Holmes-Moriarty ship suggests "iceberg ahead," if you're a true Sherlockophile, you should check this book out. I'm really intrigued as to where this story is headed..."

Read my full review here!

Here's what I said about Every Word by Ellie Marney (Tundra)

"Every Word, A Sherlock-inspired YA, does everything a second book in a mystery series should do -- it has a self-contained mystery but also adds to the overall series plotline, which revolves around the murder of James Mycroft's parents. I often complain that YA mysteries and thrillers are a little too PG to be truly thrilling, but Every Word was gritty and suspenseful while still seeming like YA. The mystery -- involving a suspicious carjacking and a missing rare book -- was really well-crafted, with all the clues laid out for analysis. And there was a pretty gruesome autopsy scene that was both poetic and disturbing -- the writing in these books is really excellent."

Read my full review here!