Archives de catégorie : Crime & Thrillers

PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS de Cindy R.X. He

Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School. All the dead girl’s friends are suspects. And each one has a reason for wanting her to die.

PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS
by Cindy R.X. He
Sourcebooks Fire, May 2024
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school…and also the most hated. When she’s murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count. And too many people who think she deserved it.

The police’s prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. Dawn was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night she died. Plus, all of Ella’s friends with a motive for wanting her dead are more than willing to throw Dawn under the bus if it means keeping the heat off themselves.

But Dawn refuses to go down without a fight. She’s determined to clear her name. As she delves deeper into the past, she discovers that Ella and her friends had major enemies, and someone is out for revenge. Dawn must uncover the truth before the police arrest the wrong suspect… and before the next person dies.

« A dark, voicey, and inventive debut from an explosive new talent. Prepare to be captivated from start to pulse-pounding finish, and blown away by the many twists and turns. Perfect Little Monsters is at once a fast-paced thriller and a thoughtful, incisive look at the impact of bullying. » ― Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here and All Eyes On Her

« This tense and twisty thriller will keep readers looking over their shoulder. » ― Natalie D. Richards, New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers

Cindy R.X. He was born and raised in multicultural Singapore. She has always enjoyed losing herself in the pages of a book, and started reading Stephen King at a much earlier age than she should have. Her favorite works are by Shirley Jackson, Courtney Summers, and Catriona Ward. She currently resides in the French Alps with her husband, children, and rescue cat.

Le cozy mystery MANGO, MAMBO AND MURDER de Raquel V. Reyes bientôt adapté en série

Le studio de production mexicano-américain Gato Grande/Amazon MGM Studios adaptera le cozy mystery MANGO, MAMBO AND MURDER de Raquel V. Reyes, premier volet de la série Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries, en série TV sous le titre Miami Spice. A l’origine du projet, le scénariste et producteur cubano-américain Art Alamo qui a travaillé sur la série New York Police judiciaire.

D’après la PDG de Gato Grande, Carla Vargas Gonzalez, Miami Spice sera une série latino-américaine captivante à l’esprit mordant, comparable à Big Little Lies. (Lire l’article de Variety)

Dans le roman, Miriam Quiñonez-Smith, chercheuse en anthropologie de l’alimentation, met de côté sa carrière universitaire pour aller s’installer dans le quartier de Coral Shores à Miami avec son mari et son fils. Après avoir trouvé un emploi temporaire en tant qu’experte en cuisine caribéenne dans une émission de télévision matinale, elle se retrouve mêlée à une affaire de meurtre. Les soupçons se portent sur un herboriste cubain controversé, et l’inspecteur chargé de l’enquête requiert son aide pour infiltrer la communauté hispanophone et le milieu social de Coral Shores, ce qui la met elle-même en danger.

“Raquel V. Reyes’s series debut, MANGO, MAMBO, AND MURDER, furthers my belief that the cozy mystery has become one of the most diverse, and most vibrant, in contemporary crime fiction.” —The New York Times

« A vibrant, diverse, LGBTQ-inclusive cast and Raquel Reyes’s deft balance of sensitive topics and frothy intrigue make this a standout. » —BookRiot

“[A] refreshing debut and series launch . . . [with] well-defined characters and [a] vibrant social scene. Mouthwatering recipes round out the volume.” —Publishers Weekly

Les droits de langue française des trois tomes qui composent actuellement la série sont disponibles.

THE QUEEN’S SPADE de Sarah Raughley

With its sharp, fast-past narrative, and cut-throat revenge arc buoyed by its empowering, emotional core and a heart wrenching romance, THE QUEEN’S SPADE is the crossover YA, Adult book that readers have been clamoring for and is perfect for fans of The Davenports, Queen Charlotte, and A Dowry of Blood.

THE QUEEN’S SPADE
by Sarah Raughley
HarperCollins Children’s Books, January 2025

In this riveting historical thriller that’s loosely inspired by true life events, The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton, as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.

While falling in love isn’t in Sally’s revenge plans, readers will be beguiled by the slow-burn romance that sparks off the page as Sally becomes drawn to Rui, the crime lord in London’s underworld helping Sally with her revenge for a price—all while she navigates the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, her unwanted matrimony, and her dangerous scheme to infiltrate Queen Victoria’s inner circle to take down the crown.

Sarah Raughley is a graduate of the department of English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University. She is also the author of the recent Victorian fantasy Bones of Ruin series and the Effigies series.

BLOOD LIKE WATER de Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

A house party turns deadly in this tightly wound thriller set against an icy Alaskan winter.

BLOOD LIKE WATER
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Delacorte, Fall 2025
(via Sterling Lord Literistic))

Finley, Mya, River, and Eli. They were inseparable as kids, running wild on Alaska’s vast wide-open spaces. Then tragedy struck, and Finley moved to the lower 48. But now it’s senior year, and Finley’s back in Anchorage. When Mya throws a house party on a snowy Valentine’s Day night, it’s supposed to be a chance for the friends to reforge old bonds. But an encounter with a mysterious stranger quickly turns the evening into a nightmare. What happened that night was an accident, right? Or was there intent? Either way, loyalty takes a dark turn when Mya, the group’s de facto leader, pressures the friends into a pact of silence, plunging them into a web of deception. Now a man’s missing, the police are involved, and Finley doesn’t know what to do or who to trust.

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is the author of the young adult thrillers, Lies Like Wildfire, Friends Like These, and two middle-grade fantasy series, The Guardian Herd and Riders of The Realm. She earned her degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley and is the Sonoma County Coordinator for SCBWI. Jennifer lives in Tennessee and often travels to Northern California.

VERY DANGEROUS THINGS de Lauren Muñoz

From the author of Suddenly a Murder comes a smart, twisty whodunnit—set on one very unique school campus, and filled with love, betrayal, and deadly secrets. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Maureen Johnson.

VERY DANGEROUS THINGS
by Lauren Muñoz
Penguin Random House, May 2025
(via Writers House)

The dead body should have been fake. It wasn’t.

Dulce Castillo is determined to win the murder mystery game her crime and criminology magnet school stages every fall. Last year’s loss to her ex-best friend’s team wasn’t only humiliating; it kept her from winning the $60,000 prize money she and her dad need to keep living in the town she loves. But Dulce is sure this year will be different because she and her friend Emi have a secret weapon: Zane, the new transfer student, who somehow knows everything about forensics.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s as cute as ten puppies wearing bunny ears.

The school’s golden boy, Xavier Torres, is chosen to play the victim. Unfortunately, someone wants Xavier dead for real. When he’s found murdered in the school greenhouse, the primary suspect is his girlfriend, Sierra. She swears she’s being railroaded by the sheriff, but the evidence against her is overwhelming: It shows that she stabbed Xavier with a poison-tipped knitting needle because he dumped her when he found out she was having a fling with his brother.

Sierra begs Dulce for help clearing her name, but Dulce refuses. After all, this is the same ex-bff who lied about why Dulce’s mom died in a car wreck three years ago. But when the prize committee decides to offer up the $60,000 to whoever solves Xavier’s real murder, Dulce has no choice but to throw her monocle in the ring. When she finds evidence that Sierra might be innocent and that someone she cares about might be guilty, Dulce has to determine whether justice is more important than love.

Lauren Muñoz is a writer, lawyer, and former teacher living in Southern California. She received her J.D. from Northwestern University in Chicago, where she frequently skipped class to commune with her sun lamp. When she’s not reading, she can be found knitting, crocheting, and collecting recipes for things she’ll never bake.