Best Mystery Thriller Books of 2021

[@TheReadingandWritingLife]

I'm so glad the In Death books got put on your list. I am now 8 books in and loving my Robb-a-Week challenge!! :) I love the characters so much.

[@kathleensmith]

Ok… watched the video = added 8 books to my want to read list….only reason it is not all 11 is because I have read all the Nora Roberts/JD Robb books….Looking forwarded to the New Year of reading!!!

[@bookslikewhoa]

LOL yay, hope you enjoy!!

[@WildeBookGarden]

I really, really appreciate that when you refer to bridge books you include readers of Adult books looking to pick up YA, rather than assuming everyone who would want a bridge book is trying to "graduate" or something ---and relatedly - yes! YA books written for actual teens are so important! many of them can (and should) be read by older readers too but they shouldn't be written with only that audience in mind

[@turboteresa1]

You had me at In death books. I have been following him since the beginning, and I think like you they have just gotten better and better. So with you giving reviews about them, makes me wanna read your other booksRecommendations. I’m looking forward to trying a few that I would never have picked up otherwise. Like I don’t read a lot of young adult books mysteries anything. Except maybe twilight. So I’m looking forward to trying some thing I would not have tried otherwise.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Hurrah for the In Death love! It is one of my favs

[@jessicamou]

Totally off the topic but your bookshelf is sooooo beautiful!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Thank you!! I enjoy it 🥰

[@suzannemoore404]

I'm looking forward to trying The Inheritance Games book after your thoughts on it. It's been moved up to my Jan TBR. Thanks!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

We love you loving Mystery, Thrillers and Isolated Close Circle Mysteries.

[@danichiong6727]

I agree that "twist" for the Last House on Needless Street is not something I'd usually like, but I think this one worked because it wasn't villainized just to be shocking

[@bookslikewhoa]

Agreed, it felt more earned than it often does!

[@arp711]

I only recently got back into reading thrillers, but one I just read and is a favorite of the year was In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, which honestly, that title alone deserves five stars.

[@bookslikewhoa]

That title is truly amazing

[@messy678]

It’s kinda nuts how close our reading tastes are. I’ve been reading In Death since the early 00’s- I always say it’s my favorite series ever. I also loved the Hendrix book and am perplexed by the hate for it. I’ve seen it on a lot of Most Disappointing which confuses me- I thought it was a fun and bloody ride! On your recommendation I bought both Inheritance Games and Fixer today actually. Thanks for adding to my TBR! PS: I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on my favorite mysteries of the year, The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Oseman. They remind me of the In Death books in that you’re really reading for the relationships between the characters. And these characters, sigh… I love them. LOVE THEM.

[@saxybrit]

I’ve just added a lot of books to my TBR 😆

[@d.m.3133]

I loved Every Last Fear and No Exit. I didn’t Final Girls Support Group. 😬. That was my first Grady Henrix book. Thanks for all the recommendations! I have The Maid on hold from my library app.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Hope you enjoy!

[@rustiqjoy]

I'm hoping to read For Your Own Good and the Maid. My favourite mystery this year is an English Murder but I also like the campy Finlay Donovon is Killing It. I read Final Girl Support Group and liked the angle the author chose to take.

[@brooke5258]

The Fixer is up next on my tbr. Can't wait to read it.

[@RR-xl6yc]

I also enjoyed both J D Robb entries this year, though I liked Forgotten in Death better. I am still waiting for one to match or exceed my favorite Treachery in Death, even though we're 20 books past it. I am not a horror fan so haven't read Grady Hendrix yet, but based on your comments maybe I'll try this one. Thank you for all the work you put into reviews, especially in articulating what does and doesn't work for you and why something might work for another type of reader. As I continue to watch your videos those details help me figure out which ones line up with my specific preferences. Best wishes for an even more successful (and healthy) reading year in 2022.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Treachery in Death is my favorite, too - I hope someday it will be unseated!

[@annier5914]

lol i also liked the final girl support group a lot! it was fun and campy and thrilling imo. and i definitely want to read firekeepers daughter soon

[@bookslikewhoa]

LOL yay I'm glad I am not alone!!

[@debralavoie9095]

Excellent choices. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

[@megwithbooks]

I am sooooo excited for The Maid!! Fun fact- Nita Prose is Ruth Ware’s editor!!

[@bookslikewhoa]

ooo, didn't realize that!

[@krzysamm7095]

Your videos are always a joy to watch and yes they usually add to my TBR. I do have a question ....as always 😁... what is your favorite Ms Marple book, Poirot book and last but not least Tommy and Tuppence Beresford Book?

[@bookslikewhoa]

I recently put out my full ranking of all her books, so I'll point you there :)

[@Sad.Purple.unicorn]

I’m really looking forward to reading the Maid

[@glendaw5221]

What is “twee”? Love your videos.

[@Pajali]

“Twee” is something like “overly cute/sentimental,” to the point that it’s kind of annoying.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Twee" usually means self-affectedly cutesy. It can be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences & what tone something is going for.

[@heatherlehl7328]

I started the In Death series because of your channel!! I'm a die hard for the audiobooks. Im iin a kind of slump but I still burn through 1-2 in death books a week!

[@bookslikewhoa]

It is truly ADDICTIVE!

[@LifeasMonae]

For your own good was such a fun time!

[@JessTalkingBooks]

I'm amused. You don't like twee in cozy mysteries since it's one reason I read the style. For my Christmas video, I read cozy mysteries. One is kinda twee, but muted. Reminded me a bit of Cleo Coyle, a duo I love.

[@JessOwens]

Firekeeper’s Daughter 👏🏾 I know that’s right!!!!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Right???

[@lynnbraden1044]

I know I've mentioned this before in your comment sections, but I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I liked the sequel to The Fixer (The Long Game) even more than the original. I just wish the company had allowed her to publish more books in that series. There are enough questions left at the end of The Long Game that there could have been another book. The Tess character is one of my favorites. I haven't read The Inheritance Games yet because I'm waiting for the third book, The Final Gambit, to be published in August. Also, I've mentioned before that I'm a big Nora Roberts fan. I read Sacred Sins years ago and really liked it at the time. I'm sure you've heard by now that Brazen Virtues (Brazen) is coming out on Netflix in January staring Alyssa Milano. I enjoyed The Firekeeper's Daughter, but I really think the publisher should classify it as New Adult rather than YA. The way the story is written and presented as well as some of the themes just fit better into that category in my opinion. Some of the best mystery thrillers that I've read this year are in a series called DI Kim Stone written by Angela Marsons. Nobody talks about this series, but the books are extremely well written with twists that are hard to predict and a cast of characters that are fun and engaging. Also, I read Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine this year and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I also discovered a romantic suspense author called Toni Anderson and enjoyed her Barkley Sound duology.

[@bookslikewhoa]

YES, I'm really looking forward to the Brazen Virtues adaptation!

[@erika8555]

Dumb question: what is "twee" that you were talking about with the maid?

[@rustiqjoy]

Was wondering also.

[@janelee4232]

I was wondering the same thing…what is twe?

[@MrStrakatus]

Same

[@danichiong6727]

Twee is when something is trying too hard to be quaint/dainty/quirky/cutesy

[@bookslikewhoa]

Dani has a pretty good definition of what I mean -- "Twee" usually means self-affectedly cutesy. It can be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences & what tone something is going for.

[@AlioH89]

I read The Fixer on your recommendation and really enjoyed it, finished the sequel a couple of days ago. One thing though, I kept wanting to get Ivy's perspective - I'd love an adult spinoff focusing on her (in theory as I know that's not going to happen!). That's not a fault of the book as its obviously a YA with the focus on the teen protagonist but I was frustrated at times that Ivy would dramatically enter and exit scenes but we'd never know what she went and did

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'm always looking for neurodiverse representation in fiction so I definitely want to check out Maid

[@bookslikewhoa]

I felt like it was really well handled (wasn't maudlin nor was it used as a kind of "superpower" which I feel like we unfortunately see a lot - it was just a part of her overall character), but I will be interested in some own voices perspectives in reviews!

[@EN-ty1zm]

Did you read the sequel to Sacred Sins? If you did, what did you thought about it?

[@bookslikewhoa]

I did! It was good, but didn't think it was as good as Sacred Sins. Looking forward to the adaptation