Mixing mysteries & psychological thrillers

The hottest genre right now seems to be mystery and psychological fiction. Check out these new releases that will have your mind working overtime and might have you leaving on a light when you go to sleep.

1. Missing Persons by Michael Brandman

Movie producer and Robert B. Parker writer, Brandman, lately spotted mostly in Paradise, Massachusetts, moves his base of operations to Freedom, California, in this Buddy Steel mystery series kickoff. Buddy moves from working homicide at LAPD to take over his father’s role as the Sheriff in his hometown, a small and privileged coastal community a hundred miles north of Los Angeles. Soon after his arrival, the wife of a local and internationally famous TV minister goes missing leading to an investigation of twisted families, con artists, gangs, drugs, corruption and murder.

“...readers will relish this straight-ahead cop procedural, complete with an assassination attempt and a biker gang's money-laundering scheme...” -Don Crinklaw, Booklist

2. House. Tree. Person. by Catriona McPherson

“An unnerving and suspenseful novel, House. Tree. Person. Is McPherson’s best yet.”—Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author

Ali McGovern is trying to keep herself and her family together while dealing with a body found in a muddy grave across the street, her secretive teenage son, her new job at the psychiatric hospital, strange sounds she doesn’t really believe exist and psychiatric doctors she doesn’t trust.

"McPherson is a master of creating psychological tension and doubts about the motives of her characters . . . The clever way McPherson reveals each hint of the truth makes this a one-sitting read."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

3. The Blind by A.F. Brady

The lines of sanity are blurred as accomplished Manhattan psychologist Sam James gets pulled into patient Richard’s twisted past. She can’t help but analyze her own life and what she discovers terrifies her. This debut novel is billed as One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest meets Luckiest Girl Alive.

"Sometimes stark and often startling, The Blind asks important questions about the arbitrary lines we draw between the sane and "crazy" members of our society. Along the way, this quick-paced debut novel pulls its reader into a web of deceit, recrimination, and ultimately, redemption." -Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and June

4. White Bodies by Jane Robins

“A deliciously creepy psychological thriller…Forcefully builds to a shocking finale as Robins skillfully explores the dynamics between sisters, mental health issues, and manipulative behavior.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

This chilling novel explores love’s dark side and sisters’ bond. The perfect couple is not what they appear. Felix is domineering and Tilda has stopped working and nearly stopped eating. Tilda’s twin sister, Callie, is worried about Felix’s uncontrollable rages, his psychological hold on Tilda and Tilda’s bruises. Callie joins an Internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. Then things really get complicated when one of Callie’s new acquaintances is killed by an abuser and Felix dies suspiciously.

5. Keep Her Safe by Sophie Hannah

“Sophie Hannah puts the 'psycho' in psychological suspense." - Lisa Gardner, bestselling crime novelist.

Cara Burrows escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford to get away from her family. She arrives at the spa late and exhausted. When Cara enters her hotel room she is shocked to find a man and a teenage girl. There’s been a mistake at the front desk. However, Cara starts to think that the girl she saw in the hotel room is the most famous murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are in jail for her murder. Cara starts reading everything she can find about the case, but can’t shake what she saw.