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2023 Mystery Genre Bingo

Posted on December 15, 2022July 4, 2023 by Darinda

Welcome to the 2023 Mystery Genre Bingo challenge!

This reading challenge focuses on mysteries and thrillers. The idea is to create a bingo card with a variety of mystery subgenres and make as many “bingos” as you want. You can set a goal to get one bingo, completely fill in the bingo card, or something in between.

The 2023 Mystery Genre Bingo challenge has 25 prompts. This is a great challenge for readers who enjoy reading a variety of mysteries.

I love to read mysteries, so my goal is to fill in a bingo card. Please comment below with your challenge goals. Good luck and happy reading!

To make a bingo card, visit the Bingo Card Generator. Enter the following information:

Card Title: 2023 Mystery Genre Bingo
Word List: Amateur Sleuth, Caper, Cold Case, Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective, Domestic Suspense, Financial Thriller, Golden Age Mystery, Historical Mystery, Hard Boiled, Legal Thriller, Locked Room Mystery, Medical Thriller, Middle Grade Mystery, Murder Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Noir, Paranormal Mystery, Police Procedural, Political Thriller, Private Investigator, Psychological Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Spy Thriller, Suspense, Techno Thriller, True Crime, Young Adult Mystery, Whodunit
Free Space: Yes
Free Space Text: Any Mystery
Free Space Description: “leave blank”
Free Space Placement: Center
Card Size: 5 x 5
Number of cards to create: 1
Click “Generate Bingo Cards”

My Bingo Card

Books Read in 2023:

Political Thriller – Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Murder Mystery – The Hunting Wives by May Cobb
Financial Thriller – The Prince of Risk by Christopher Reich
Cold Case – The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
Paranormal Mystery – The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon
Golden Age Mystery – The Perfect Crime by Ellery Queen
Middle Grade Mystery – What We Saw by Mary Downing Hahn
Mystery Thriller – Fear No Evil James Patterson
Techno Thriller – Deep Fathom by James Rollins
Spy Thriller – Blowback by James Patterson
Young Adult Mystery – There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
Legal Thriller – A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
Any Mystery – Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
Psychological Thriller – The Blame Game by Sandie Jones
Locked Room Mystery – The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Private Investigator – Whiskey Lullaby by Liliana Hart
Whodunit – A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Domestic Suspense – Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
Romantic Suspense – Forbidden Fruit by Erica Spindler
Detective – City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
Amateur Sleuth – Playing Dead by Peggy Rothschild
Historical Mystery – The Girl in the Painting by Steve Robinson
Crime Fiction – All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
Caper – The Paper Caper by Kate Carlisle
Cozy Mystery – Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose [Book Review]

Posted on September 18, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: One of Us Is Dead

Author: Jeneva Rose

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Publish Date: April 26, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Opulence. Sex. Betrayal … Sometimes friendship can be deadly.

Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

MY REVIEW

A group of five women use secrets and lies to stay on top in their social circle. The relationships between these rich, competitive, and gossipy women are complex. With so many secrets and lies, it eventually leads to a murder.

One of Us is Dead is told using alternating points of view and an alternating timeline. The points of view are from five women – Jenny, Olivia, Karen, Crystal, and Shannon. The women are nosy, manipulative, and not very likable. However, that makes for an entertaining cast of characters. The timeline alternates between before the murder and after the murder.

A fun vacation read! One of Us is Dead is full of drama, chaos, and twists.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Jeneva Rose:

The Perfect Marriage
One of Us Is Dead

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen [Book Review]

Posted on July 24, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Golden Couple

Author: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: March 8, 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

BOOK BLURB

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all—until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.
When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

MY REVIEW

A picture perfect couple seek counseling to help their marriage. The therapist is unconventional, but the couple are willing to try it to save their marriage.

Told using the alternating points of view of Marissa, the client, and Avery, the therapist. Marissa cheated on her husband, but wants to save her marriage. She finds Avery, a therapist who guarantees she can fix issues in only ten sessions. Of course, nothing is as it appears.

The Golden Couple is a gripping and twisty psychological thriller. Fans of Hendricks and Pekkanen’s other books are sure to enjoy this one too.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen:

Secret Identity by Alex Segura [Book Review]

Posted on July 23, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Secret Identity

Author: Alex Segura

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publish Date: March 15, 2022

Genre: Historical Mystery

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

It’s 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn’t care. She’s an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn’t have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn’t matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book.

That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call “The Lethal Lynx,” Triumph’s first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he’s found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name. Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that’s complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living.

MY REVIEW

A 1970s mystery in the comic book industry. A woman helps create a female superhero, but her involvement is kept secret. When her colleague is murdered, she is left wondering what happened, and she has no proof that she created the comic.

Secret Identity is a character driven mystery. Carmen wanted to create comics, and took a questionable offer from a colleague. She created a new comic superhero, but her name wasn’t on it. When her colleague was murdered, Carmen no longer has a connection to the comic.

Noir fiction for comic book fans. Secret Identity is a unique and gritty novel. The characters did not capture my attention as much as I would have liked, but the 1970s New York setting was fantastic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Alex Segura:

Secret Identity

The Heights by Louise Candlish [Book Review]

Posted on July 23, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Heights

Author: Louise Candlish

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: March 1, 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among warehouses in London. Its roof terrace is so discreet, you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there—a man you’d recognize anywhere. He may be older now, but it’s definitely him.

But that can’t be because he’s been dead for over two years. You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

MY REVIEW

A woman spots a man on a nearby roof terrace. She thinks it is the man she blames for the death of her son, which is impossible since he’s supposed to be dead.

The Heights is told using multiple points of view and timelines, which adds more layers to this thriller.

A novel about obsession and revenge. The Heights is a dark and slow-burning psychological thriller. I had a hard time getting into this story, but still found it an enjoyable read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Louise Candlish:

The Swimming Pool
Our House
Those People
The Other Passenger
The Heights

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay [Book Review]

Posted on July 23, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Night Shift

Author: Alex Finlay

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: March 1, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive.

In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift.

MY REVIEW

Two similar crimes that happen fifteen years apart. On New Year’s Eve in 1999, four teenage Blockbuster workers were attacked, and only one survived. Years later, in 2015, teens working at an ice cream shop were attacked, and only one survived.

The Night Shift is told using multiple points of view of three characters – Ella, Chris, and Sarah. Ella was the survivor of the first attack. She is now a therapist and is called to the hospital to talk with the newest survivor. She is forced to recall a time that she would rather forget. Chris is the brother of the suspect in the 1999 murders. He is now a public defender and believes his brother was innocent. Sarah is the FBI agent assigned to the recent case, and looking for a connection between the two crimes. She’s eight months pregnant, so she’s supposed to be on the sidelines, but she doesn’t shy away from the action.

With well-developed characters and a clever plot, The Night Shift makes for a compelling read. This is an addictive and twisty novel, great for fans of mystery thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Alex Finlay:

Every Last Fear
The Night Shift

Batten Down the Belfry by Diane Kelly [Book Review]

Posted on June 1, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Batten Down the Belfry

Author: Diane Kelly

Publisher: St. Martin

Publish Date: March 1, 2022

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: House-Flipper Mystery #4

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Here is the church, here is the steeple…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?

Open the doors, and see all the trouble.

The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?

The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker?

MY REVIEW

Whitney and her cousin Buck have flipped houses before, but now they’re renovating an old church. When two murders take place near the old church, Whitney wants to help solve the cases. Her boyfriend is the homicide detective, so she soon is looking for clues.

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth book in the House Flipper mystery series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book in this series, Dead as a Doorknocker.

Whitney and her family and friends are likable characters. The setting is charming. The mystery is entertaining. Batten Down the Belfry is an enjoyable cozy mystery, and I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the House-Flipper Mystery Series:

Dead as a Doorknocker
Dead in the Doorway
Murder With a View
Batten Down the Belfry
Primer and Punishment

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel [Book Review]

Posted on June 1, 2022December 28, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: This Might Hurt

Author: Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publish Date: February 22, 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Welcome to Wisewood. We’ll keep your secrets if you keep ours.

Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year.

The last time they spoke, Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother. She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there.

And then she found Wisewood.

On a private island off the coast of Maine, Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays. During this time, they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world—no Internet, no phones, no exceptions. But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves. Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea, but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid.

Six months later Natalie receives a menacing e-mail from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from Kit. Panicked, Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home. But she’s about to learn that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight.

MY REVIEW

Natalie has not heard from her sister, Kit, in over six months. Kit took off to a remote retreat, and cut off contact with the outside world. After receiving a cryptic email, Natalie goes to the retreat in search of her sister.

This Might Hurt is told using multiple points of view and timelines. This was somewhat confusing at first, but eventually came together well. The characters were intriguing and unique. The story was complex and engaging.

This Might Hurt is a psychological thriller about sisters, cults, childhood trauma, and therapy. A creepy and atmospheric novel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Stephanie Wrobel:

Darling Rose Gold
This Might Hurt
The Hitchcock Hotel

Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett [Book Review]

Posted on June 1, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Beneath the Stairs

Author: Jennifer Fawcett

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: February 22, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Few in sleepy Sumner’s Mills have stumbled across the Octagon House hidden deep in the woods. Even fewer are brave enough to trespass. A man had killed his wife and two young daughters there, a shocking, gruesome crime that the sleepy upstate New York town tried to bury. One summer night, an emboldened fourteen-year-old Clare and her best friend, Abby, ventured into the Octagon House. Clare came out, but a piece of Abby never did.

Twenty years later, an adult Clare receives word that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House and now lies in a coma. With little to lose and still grieving after a personal tragedy, Clare returns to her roots to uncover the darkness responsible for Abby’s accident.

MY REVIEW

Two girls, Clare and Abby, entered a local house rumored to be haunted. Twenty years later, Abby has returned to the house to commit suicide. The house has effected many people over the years, and Clare returns to uncover the mystery of the house.

Beneath the Stairs is a debut novel that combines mystery thriller with paranormal elements. It is told primarily through Clare’s viewpoint and uses alternating timelines. This one took me a while to get into, but I ended up enjoying the story.

Beneath the Stairs is a slow-burning read for fans of mysteries and horror.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Jennifer Fawcett

Beneath the Stairs

The Fields by Erin Young [Book Review]

Posted on May 31, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Fields

Author: Erin Young

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publish Date: January 25, 2022

Genre: Police Procedural

Series: Riley Fisher #1

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Some things don’t stay buried.

It starts with a body—a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.

When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind.

The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.

MY REVIEW

The Fields is a debut crime thriller. Riley Fisher heads the investigation in the murder of one of her childhood friends.

The Fields is a dark and gritty police procedural. Riley Fisher is an intriguing character. The mystery is complex and compelling. This is the first book in a new series, and I look forward to reading more.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Riley Fisher series:

The Fields

The End of Getting Lost by Robin Kirman [Book Review]

Posted on May 31, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The End of Getting Lost

Author: Robin Kirman

Publisher: Simon Schuster

Publish Date: February 15, 2022

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

A young woman and her husband travel around Europe to celebrate their first year of marriage—a year that the woman has no memory of—in this searing novel of intimacy and deceit.

The year is 1996—a time before cell phones, status updates, and location tags—when you could still travel to a remote corner of the world and disappear. This is where we meet Gina and Duncan, a young couple madly in love, traveling around Europe on a romantic adventure. It’s a time both thrilling and dizzying for Gina, whose memories are hazy following a head injury—and the growing sense that the man at her side is keeping secrets from her.

Just what is Duncan hiding and how far will he go to keep their pasts at bay? As the pair hop borders across Europe, their former lives threatening to catch up with them while the truth grows more elusive, we witness how love can lead us astray, and what it means to lose oneself in love

MY REVIEW

In The End of Getting Lost, a married couple, Gina and Duncan, travel around Europe on a romantic adventure. Unfortunately, Gina suffers from amnesia due to a head injury. Gina feels that Duncan is hiding something from her, but she’s not all that forthcoming either.

The End of Getting Lost is told from the alternating viewpoints of Gina and Duncan. It is a domestic mystery of lies and deceit. The story takes place during the 1990s, which I enjoyed. However, I found the characters unlikable, and the story never fully grasped my attention.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Robin Kirman:

The End of Getting Lost

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham [Book Review]

Posted on March 20, 2022January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: A Flicker in the Dark

Author: Stacy Willingham

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: January 11, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

BOOK BLURB

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren’t actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

MY REVIEW

When Chloe Davis was twelve years old, her father was convicted for killing six teenage girls. Twenty years later, teenage girls are being killed, and Chloe suspects there is a connection with her father.

Chloe had a traumatic childhood, but has worked to overcome her difficult past. She is a psychologist with her own practice, she’s planning her wedding, and has the support of her fiancé and her brother. Unfortunately, she also self-medicates, which makes her a bit unreliable as a narrator. When teenage girls start missing again, Chloe is unsure if there is a connection with her father, or if it’s all unrelated and in her imagination.

A Flicker in the Dark is a gripping debut novel. Flawed characters and an atmospheric setting in this twisty thriller. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Stacy Willingham:

A Flicker in the Dark