Country Club Abductions, Cozy Islands, and a Serial Killer in the Alaskan Spruce

by Sara Ennis

This is the darkest one on the list. A 14-year-old girl vanished from an exclusive country club twenty years ago, another girl has now gone missing from the same club, and the man behind the first case is supposedly dead. One reader warned that despite the sweet title and dove cover, it's "one dark and messed up book," and I'd take that seriously. It's book five in the Komorebi World, but it's sitting at 4.27 with almost 1,400 ratings, so plenty of people are happily diving in.

“My Rating System: 4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded down to 4 ticked almost all the boxes LOVED IT!!! Twenty years ago, Natasha King was abducted, tortured and killed. It destroyed her family and her sister Anastasia (Stasia) has never gotten over it. Now another girl has gone missing in similar circumstances...”

by Patti Larsen

Georgia Drake has quit her job as an inquisitor at Guild Artemis and wants a normal life on a small island. Then murder shows up, the sheriff asks nicely for help, and she brings along her Hades Hound, Benjamin. It's a paranormal cozy with a 4.31 from over 700 readers, which is strong for a series opener. Pick it up if you want gentle spookiness and a dog sidekick more than gore.

by K.M. Morgan

Thirty-five cozy mysteries in one download. That's a lot of chocolate, cupcakes and charming coastal towns, and honestly it could cover you until Christmas. It holds a 4.17 across about 350 ratings. I'd treat it as a sampler: start reading, figure out which series clicks, and ignore the rest without guilt.

by Philip Anthony Smith

Naomi Holloway's tidy life comes apart after an anonymous video hints she cheated, and the gossip at the school gates turns nasty before the police even knock. It's domestic suspense about how fast a rumor becomes "evidence." Readers keep saying they finished it in about a day, and it's at 4.29 with a couple hundred ratings. Good pick for a weekend when you want to read in one sitting.

“I have been on Philip's ARC team from the beginning, so when he sent me this one yesterday a day early, I jumped at the chance to start it as I had finished my current read the night before - perfect timing ! As with all of Philip's books, the twists are excellent, as is the writing. Short...”

by Catherine m Byrne

This one is a stretch for a thrillers list. It's a wartime historical about Mary Rosie, who is enjoying the attention of young servicemen, including a charming RAF pilot, while Johnny waits to marry her, until the first bomb hits her home town. It has the highest rating this week at 4.51, and reviewers talk about it the way people talk about stories their grandparents told them. Not a pulse-pounder, but a good bet if you like historical fiction with some tension in it.

“5☆ A Beautifully written Historical read Mary Rosie’s War is beautifully written, I really enjoy reading books from the war times. My nan used to tell me so many stories. So reading this book added a special touch for me. In this book it's focused on WWII. Mary's brother Peter enlists in the army...”

by Will Steckman

Jack takes a park ranger job in Alaska to leave his past behind. Then a rescue mission for a lost hiker goes wrong and a serial killer starts hunting him and his partner. The setup is classic wilderness survival. It has the lowest rating on the list at 3.76, though with nearly 400 ratings that's not a disaster. Free and remote, with a killer on the loose, it might suit you if you're in the mood for something a bit rougher around the edges.