2025 was a great year for reading for me. I’ve read so many wonderful books. I don’t have an actual count, but it was probably double the number of books I usually read for pleasure, which is only about 24. The number of books I buy for my reading pleasure is significantly higher, but, hey, I’ll get to them one day! Many of the books I’ve read you may not have heard of. In my opinion, they are not getting the attention they deserve. And there can be many reasons for that; small publishing houses with small marketing budgets, books that are in the middle of a series, (hey that includes me!) or books that are not in a genre that is currently trending.
Whatever the reason, if you love crime fiction in all is many flavors, you will want to know about the handful of books below.
City Lights by Claire M Johnson
What’s it about: Word spreads that Nick Moore has left San Francisco for good, leaving Maggie Laurent struggling to keep the Moore Detective Agency afloat. Cops, the D.A., and the other private detectives in town all predict she’ll be out of business by Christmas, and she’s not sure they aren’t right. Then one day, her silent partner, Dickie Vance, invites her to lunch. He has a job for her. Find out what’s going on with Herman Peters, Dickie’s favorite cab driver and one of the “Nob Hill Irregulars” that feeds him gossip on the city’s elite.
During their weekly boxing lesson, Maggie learns that Herman’s fiancée, Vera Kowalski, has dumped him and tasks Maggie with finding out why. This simple request leads Maggie deep into the world of labor unrest, the IWW, the Sedition Act, and into the arms of one of Herman’s friends, a charming-as-hell Irishman. As the state gubernatorial election draws near, the city brass will pull out the stops to ensure that San Francisco remains peaceful for the next few months, even as the aftermath of the stock market crash begins to bite—and bite hard. Banks start foreclosing on homes, families sleep in their cars, men sleep on the sidewalks, soup lines begin to form, and the rumblings of union busting get louder. When this powder keg of unrest explodes with the arrival of Pinkerton operatives, the chain reaction of murder and violence threatens the lives of union members, cops—and Maggie herself.
What I loved about it:
The story takes place in San Francisco, and I don’t think the author mentions that the book is set in the 1930s but boy, can you feel it. The setting so is intuitive throughout the book that reading it feels like watching an old movie. And I love Maggie. I haven’t read the first book in the series yet. This one just happened to come my way, so I grabbed it. Thus, I’m not really sure what the relationship was between Maggie and Nick, the experienced PI who left San Francisco for Chicago. Was she his secretary? An intern? I don’t know but I definitely got the sense that Maggie had found her place and was not going to give it up just because the guy with the license had left town. The historical elements were well researched and acted as another character in the story. Can’t wait to read book one.
Danger at Darkmoor Park by Syrie James
What’s it about: Selena Taylor is thrilled to cohost a Christmas house party at Darkmoor Park, the beautiful Yorkshire estate she will one day inherit. But a massive snowstorm hits the area, and no one can leave. When one of the guests dies after giving Selena a cryptic clue to a cache of hidden money, she suspects that he was murdered.
Dr. Adrian Scott arrives out of the blizzard and he and Selena, fueled by a burning mutual attraction, become partners in investigating both mysteries—a thrilling hunt for hidden treasure and the search for a ruthless killer—while trapped with holiday guests who all seem to be hiding a secret.
When another guest dies and she starts receiving threatening notes, Selena realizes that she is in terrible danger, pursued by a relentless villain and involved with a man whose touch makes her heart race but who may be hiding a deadly secret of his own.
What I loved about it: I’ve had an early copy of this for a few months, but haven’t had a chance to read it until just recently. And how perfect that it was a Christmas book! Syrie James has a remarkable talent for immersive Gothic mystery that pulls you into the story. She also has a strong, relatable female protagonist in Selina. If you’re looking for a Christmas read, I recommend this one highly!
The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde
What’s it about: Set in Regency London, this charming Jane Austen-inspired mystery series features Rosalind Thorne, a resourceful young woman with a talent for helping ladies of the ton with their most delicate and pressing predicaments. But now she’s faced with a task of royal proportions. Literally.
King George IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she’s frantically calling on Rosalind for help.
Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.
Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder.
Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated? Mrs. Fitzherbert’s daughters have secrets of their own. And Poole himself had no shortage of enemies.
With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself.
What I loved about it:
You may be familiar with Darice’s most recent book, The Heir, featuring a young Queen Victoria. This book is part of a series that takes place a good 20 years earlier. It features a protagonist who is far more fascinating that she should be. She was living in London in genteel poverty due to a father who not only ran out on her, but left her in embarrassed circumstances. She’s not really part of society any longer nor could she afford to be. But she has enough standing that she couldn’t take paid employment. Fortunately, Rosalind has excellent survival skills and an intelligence that allows her to help the ladies of the upper class out of whatever trouble they may find themselves in, which proves to be a pretty good job, since each case she takes is twistier than the last. In this book in particular, anyone could be a suspect. It’s a great book to curl up with on a snowy afternoon.
River of Lies by James L'Etoile
What’s it about: The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’re considered undesirable—a nuisance—an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed.
The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker—but rather than strengthening the push for justice, the movement to completely abolish the camps intensifies.
The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. She struggles to balance the high-stakes investigation with caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?
What I loved about it:
I read this on the recommendation of a friend and I’m glad I did. I’ve always liked a good police procedural and Detective Emily Hunter makes this one something special. She’s real and relatable. Complex but someone you’d want to be friends with. I would have been happy to meander through a story with her, but even better was flying through the compelling plot Mr. L’Etoile devised. I stayed up much too late to finish this book, so I’d recommend starting it on a day when you have plenty of time to finish it.
The Socialites Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets by SK Golden
A Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets by S.K. Golden
What’s it about: New York, 1958. When Evelyn’s mail is delivered during a luncheon in the Gold Room, she’s surprised to find she has received a diamond tiara, which catches the attention of a costume jewelry sales team lunching nearby. Their leader, Lois Mitchel, is especially interested, but by the end of the lunch, Lois has choked and fallen into Evelyn’s lap—and by the end of the day, she’s dead.
The papers report on the death the next day, while also spreading news of a Gentleman Thief who’s been leaving behind a red pocket square after robbing the city’s wealthiest. Determined to figure out what happened to Lois, Evelyn devotes herself to the investigation.
The truth is as rare as a diamond and just as hard to crack, and Evelyn swiftly discovers that this particular mystery is multifaceted, too. From costume jewelry hawkers to wannabe Robin Hoods and a detective in residence at the Pinnacle, nothing is simple. But neither is Evelyn—and this case is hers to solve.
What I loved about it: I just adore Evelyn. She styles herself as a Marilyn Monroe type. She’s a sweet ingénue; wealthy and reclusive to the point that she almost never leaves the Pinnacle Hotel, which her father owns. She knows little about life and how average people live, but she cares so much that she persists in her unconventional investigations until she flushes out the villain. We all need a little Evelyn in our lives.