Six Four-Star Mysteries I Loved Reading Last Year
- The Bossy Bookworm
- 13 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Six Four-Star Bossy Mystery Reads
We've reached the point in the year--the very beginning--when I obsess over my favorite reads from the past twelve months in every genre and share them with you each Friday. Because I've been in a mystery-reading mood lately, I thought you might be too, so we're starting with six four-star mystery reads for you to check out.
You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year. And you can find Bossy reviews of many other mysteries here.
If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think!
What are some of your favorite mystery reads, whether from the past year or beyond?
01 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman
I was delighted by the poignancy, humor, and layers in the first installment of this series of stories about sharp, disparate septuagenarians who meet to resolve cold cases--then aim to solve the mysteries of murders occurring in their own community.
In this first installment in Osman's mystery series (the second one also appears on this list), the story begins in medias res, as the reader witnesses our key characters--four septuagenarian--coming together for a weekly discussion of unsolved murders. Joyce is their newest member, and the four put their wits to the test to try to resolve cold cases. (They reserve their room as "Jigsaw Club" to discourage others' interest and interruption.)
But when a slick local developer associated with their own retirement community is murdered, and other deaths follow, this sharp, funny, grumpy, big-hearted, underestimated group of friends becomes determined to solve the case. Then an event from decades earlier grows in importance and shapes the Club's search for answers.
Justice isn't black and white, and motivations matter; the Club isn't set on following the letter of the law, as they appreciate how complicated life can be.
I was surprised by how charming, intriguing, layered, and lovely this story was.
Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age is another series about capable, clever older protagonists who use their wits and significant life experience to solve crimes--and, in their case, evade their own murders. You can check out my reviews of the first two titles here and here.
For my full review, please check out this link.
02 First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Elston's first adult novel ticked all of my mystery-reading boxes: a con artist, fake identity, dangerous boss, complicated mark, trusty sidekick, clever maneuvering, and non-manipulative twists. I can't wait to read her next mystery.
Evie Porter is embracing her current fake identity and getting closer to her mark Ryan--who she's lured into being her boyfriend. Now she awaits her mysterious boss Mr. Smith's instructions about the information he needs her to obtain to take down Ryan or his associates, she's not sure which.
After what happened on her last job, she can't afford to make mistakes. Mr. Smith could make life unpleasant--or abruptly shortened--if she fails. And he seems to be throwing curveballs at her on purpose. But Evie knows that since her desperate entry into this powerful, dangerous world, its tricky elements, its constant deception, and its hefty paycheck, she has always been one of the best. She expects to manage this job--whatever it may turn out to be--without much difficulty.
But the situation isn't exactly what it seems, and when a woman comes to town using Evie's birth name, which only her boss was aware of, Evie isn't sure whether she's being tested or whether she's being set up for sabotage.
I loved the key elements of this story: the capable con woman, the past coming back to haunt her, the complicated mark, the trusted sidekick, the tricky cross and double-cross, and Elston's non-manipulative, delightful twists. This was smart and intriguing, a fast and compelling read, with a main protagonist I was rooting for.
You can read my full review by clicking this link.
03 The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) by Richard Osman
Book two of the series sees our septuagenarian characters each trekking their own paths while working cooperatively to solve a new mystery. They show vulnerability and strength, use their instincts and smarts to outsmart criminals, and grow. I laughed while listening to this one; Osman's series has me hooked.
This is the second installment in this mystery series to appear on this list of favorites from the past year. I was late to the series, but I'm fully committed now.
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are septuagenarians feeling let down after the thrills, danger, and success of their first solved mystery (related in The Thursday Murder Club).
But things start getting interesting when a piece of Elizabeth's past is illuminated. Her ex-husband shows up, under the protection of fellow MI-5 spies, suspected of having stolen 20 million dollars' worth of diamonds and professing to still be in love with her. And someone has it in for him, which means danger for all.
Not everyone is who they seem, and someone the group trust's may have let greed and deception compromise everything.
The main protagonists' tendencies and personalities have room to shine here, and Osman allows for vulnerabilities and also moments where the characters come into their own.
Osman writes older characters with grace, not relying on archetypes but serving up poignancy, dialogue that made me laugh, and grand adventure that keeps his protagonists inspired and engaged.
I listened to The Man Who Died Twice as a library audiobook.
For my full review, please check out the page at this link. For my review of the series' first book, The Thursday Murder Club, please click this link.
04 Kill for Me Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh
I loved the twist, double-twist of my first Cavanagh mystery, and the story's revenge and renegade justice are layered with unexpected circumstances. I was hooked.
In Steve Cavanagh's twisty mystery Kill for Me, Kill for You, two strangers, women bearing the brunt of two different violent tragedies--and struggling with a lack of justice for those responsible--make a Strangers on a Train-type of deal: If you kill the man responsible for my loss, I'll kill the one responsible for yours.
Ruth, a young married woman living elsewhere in the city, is brutally attacked in her own home--and the intruder, who has piercing blue eyes but remains unidentified, is on the loose as Ruth reels from disastrous repercussions and mental illness.
The ruthless trajectories toward revenge are simultaneously disturbing and satisfying, but the circumstances around the efforts to bring the guilty to justice are layered and shocking in their reveals.
The intersection of the novel's victims who are bent on justice is unexpected and fascinating. Characters aren't who they seem, and there's a twist, double twist aspect that I loved.
This is the first mystery I've read by Steve Cavanagh. I don't love the title--although it does indicate the dynamic--but I was hooked on the story.
For my full review, please click this link.
05 Kills Well with Others (Killers of a Certain Age #2) by Deanna Raybourn
Killers of a Certain Age was darkly funny, action-packed, feminist, and friend-focused. I love the second installment's return to my favorite aging assassins and their quick-thinking, spry, deadly answers to those who have broken moral codes--and who have our protagonists in their sights.
The first installment of Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age series was a fun, darkly funny, feminist story about a retiring female team of elite assassins. It was the right book at the right time for me: entertainment in the perfect combination of action and suspense, loyal friendship, clever plotting, and the promise of love.
Book two picks up when our main characters, having laid low and lived their own lives for a year, are contacted by the Museum, the elite assassin organization they used to work for. An Eastern European gangster has obtained the names of agents who have stood in his way over the years, and our aging assassins seem likely to be next on his hit list. They must figure out who's turned traitor on the Museum and shared this information--and stay alive long enough to bring them to justice.
Kills Well with Others sometimes feels a little bit as though Raybourn is gamely giving her readers what they want (more Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, Natalie--and Tanner!) rather than writing a book she felt compelled to put out into the world. But I'm one of those who are eager for more time with these clever, sometimes grumpy, often spontaneous, satisfyingly quick-thinking assassins who are loyal to each other above all.
The mind-bending examinations of what other characters might be up to and the combat and narrow escapes keep the pacing lively and engaging. In between, Raybourn allows friendships and love to grow and change. If Raybourn keeps writing this series, I'll read every last installment.
For my full review, please see Kills Well with Others.
Raybourn is also the author of the wonderful Killers of a Certain Age, which was the first in the Killers of a Certain Age series. And I loved A Curious Beginning, the first book in Deanna Raybourn's feisty Veronica Speedwell series of historical fiction mysteries, as well as the sequels A Perilous Undertaking, A Treacherous Curse, A Dangerous Collaboration, and A Murderous Relation. (There are currently nine books in the series.)
06 The Summer Guests (Martini Club #2) by Tess Gerritsen
In the second installment of the series, retired CIA agents build stronger bonds with each other in rural Maine while assisting (and sometimes running over) the local police chief to try to find a missing teen and untangle past unsolved mysteries.
In book two of the Martini Club, the mystery at hand--a missing teen--draws in local citizens as well as the wealthy summer residents, their murky pasts (which are uncomfortably, distantly related to the aging former agents' own histories), and unsolved disappearances from decades earlier. Multiple suspects capture the attention of the police as well as the Martini Club, and the former agents' unorthodox investigations are both intriguing to witness and lead to some valuable discoveries.
The progression of the meal-focused relationship between Jo and the Club is fun, as are Jo's growing respect for the Club's hunches (which keep things interesting, as they aren't always correct), her growing confidence in her own instincts, and her ability to attempt to corral the Club into an appropriate lane for assisting behind the scenes without crossing quite so may procedural lines.
A growing affection between two members of the ex-CIA crowd is a secondary element but is sweet to see.
I liked this installment even more than the first book in the series. It was a fast read that kept me guessing.
Please click here for my full review of The Summer Guests. This is the second book in Tess Gerritsen's Martini Club series. The first is The Spy Coast.
If you're interested in stories set in Maine, you might like the titles on my Greedy Reading List Six Fascinating Books Set in Maine.
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