October’s New Mystery, Thrillers, & True Crime Books (Some Horror Vibes Included)

For fans of college-set suspense, revenge, and scammers!

Jordyn is excited to be away from her parents, who are overprotective and not thrilled that she chose to attend an HBCU. But things quickly start souring: one of her roommates has a brother come to stay for a few days, but his leave starts to get postponed and his lectures and control seem to grow…

For fans of PIs, secret societies, and historical fiction set in the ‘50s!

San Francisco PI, Andy Mills, is forced back to LA with his new case when Myrtle Bolton from Mattachine Society, a historically real queer rights organization, hires him to find three missing members. Complicating his case even more is his estranged mom, who works at the psychological clinic his investigation takes him to.

If you want to start at the beginning of this award-winning series, pick up Lavender House!

For fans of YA and spy families!

The Factory is a secret world organization of spies, and at 15, Amani Kendall is given her first solo job as a member. Then there’s Danielle Hunter, another teen, who recently discovered her parents work for The Factory. She also found out the organization was the reason for her father’s death,. Now, Danielle is worrying those in charge at the agency with her erratic behavior, so Amani is to befriend her and let the agency know her threat level. How? By joining Amani’s band, which plans to try out for The Next Teen Sensation!

The books in this series are all set in the same universe but with different leads, so you can read them as standalones. I do, however, recommend the whole series, which is a kickass delight, so be sure to pick up Undercover Latina and Untraceable!

For fans of multiple POVs following reunited sleuths and fictional serial killers!

As teens, twins Alice and Samantha Van Dyne and fellow student Joey O’Day helped solve cases in their town. But their lives were forever changed when the twins’ friend and police chief father Bill was killed after they created a ridiculous plan to catch the school janitor, who they suspected of being a recent serial killer. Twenty-five years later, Alice, Samantha, and Joey are all grown with separate lives around the country, apart from the one who stayed in town. But when a copycat serial killer emerges and the imprisoned janitor says he was never the serial killer, the once teen sleuths are forced to reckon with their past work.

For fans of horror (’tis the season!) and locked-room mystery!

Fifty years ago, 12 people vanished from the Brake Inn Motel in Texas. Now, Ethan and Hunter—with a body in their wake—show up to join seven other guests, including a grandfather and granddaughter with a man on their tail, and friends on their way to the Mexican border. But something isn’t right: people start dying, and they’re locked into a nightmare motel.

For fans of historical mystery and drama with a sprinkling of the supernatural (ghosts)!

Set in three timelines—1930s, 1950’s, and 2015—we follow Mei throughout her life. Since childhood, she has had the ability to see ghosts; at seven she was sent to live with strangers; as a young woman she was one of six mediums in a haunted mansion competition that did not go well; and now she’s trying to grapple with her past.

For fans of dual detectives and Japanese translated mysteries!

A government worker and a waitress are found dead on the beach in Japan, and without contradicting evidence, it’s believed to be a “lovers’ suicide.” However (this is a mystery after all!), local Inspector Torigai thinks there are enough inconsistencies to investigate, including the couple’s recent train trip. While Torigai plods through his investigation, he’s visited by a young Inspector with the Tokyo Met Police who has interesting information about the man who died.

For readers of true crime based on popular podcasts.

Leo Schofield was convicted of murdering his wife, Michelle, in 1987, but continued to plead his innocence even after decades in prison. In 2004, a fingerprint from the case that had never been identified was finally linked to someone who ultimately confessed to the crime Schofield was sentenced for. But the state of Florida didn’t believe Schofield’s innocent pleas nor Jeremy Scott’s murder confession!

For fans of remote gothic mysteries blended with romance!

Come for the Edwardian set Gothic mansion and stay for the second-chance romance, messy estranged family drama, and the fight over an inheritance as a mystery plays out…