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The 15 Best New Mystery Books of 2022

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Emily Martin

Contributing Editor

Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

Mystery novel lovers, are you looking for something to look forward to in 2022? Check out these 15 new mystery titles coming out this year. 2022 is really nailing it when it comes to mystery novels, and these are some of the absolute best of the year. Some of the books are sequels to cozy mystery series, bringing you even closer to the characters and stories that you know and love. As for others? Well, if you’re looking for new and surprising storylines, there are plenty of unique mysteries coming out this year that will be unlike anything else you’ve read before. And for the young adult novel reader, you guessed it. There are some really great YA mystery novels coming out this year as well.

So mystery novel fans, you know what to do. It’s time to get your sleuthing hats out, polish off your magnifying glasses, and get ready to flex your clue-detecting skills. Your TBR pile is about to be stacked with a bunch of great new mystery books to delight you, get you thinking, and, yes, some of these might creep you out a little bit as well. And some of these are out already, so what are you waiting for? Let’s get to reading.

The Best New Mystery Books of 2022

The Maid cover

The Maid by Nita Prose

The Maid is going to be one of the best mystery books you read in 2022, and it’s already out! This book follows Molly Gray, who is not the best at reading social cues. When she was feeling unsure of the world around her, she used to have her gran to lean on. But now Gran is dead, and Molly has been left to navigate the world all on her own. Unsure of what else to do with herself, Molly throws herself fully into her work as a maid at a hotel. After all, it’s the perfect job for her. She loves cleaning, and returning each and every room in the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection fills Molly with joy. But then she discovers a dead body in one of the rooms. Suddenly the hotel becomes the scene of a serious murder investigation. And Molly becomes a primary suspect.

find me book cover

Find Me by Alafair Burke

Hope Miller doesn’t know who she really is. She doesn’t even know her true name. Fifteen years ago, Hope was found thrown from an overturned vehicle, and she’s never regained her memory. When Hope goes missing, her best friend Lindsay fears the worst. Especially when the only lead is a drop of blood found where Hope was last seen that matches a DNA sample with a connection to a notorious Kansas murderer. To find her friend, Lindsay turns to NYPD Homicide detective Ellie Hatcher, whose father dedicated his life to hunting the Kansas killer. Together, these women will uncover secrets of their past.

the last house on the street

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

If you love your historical mysteries, this is a must-read this year. Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in Round Hill, North Carolina. Now, an older woman is warning Kayla not to move in. What is going on in this neighborhood? And might the house at the end of the street hold the key to the neighbor’s secrets and what happened to Kayla’s husband?

Hot and Sour Suspects cover

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien (January 25)

Hot and Sour Suspects is the latest in Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop cozy mystery series. Lana Lee is back, and this time, she’s helping her best friend, Megan Riley, host a speed dating contest at Ho-Lee Noodle House. Everything goes even better than Lana could have anticipated…that is, until one of the dating participants calls to inform Lana that her match was murdered. When Lana looks into the murdered man’s past, she discovers his complicated past, and all of the many people who would have had a motive to murder him. Can Lana solve the case before it’s too late?

Cover of The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb (February 1)

The Violin Conspiracy is the perfect mystery novel for music lovers. This is the story of Ray McMillian, who will stop at nothing to become a professional musician. Just when Ray is preparing for the international Tchaikovsky Competition, his prized violin, a priceless family heirloom, is stolen. And now there is a major dispute about who the violin belongs to in the first place — does it belong to Ray’s family, or the family who once enslaved Ray’s great-grandfather? And will Ray ever see his violin again?

the paris apartment

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (February 22)

Love a mystery with a large cast of potential suspects? Check out Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment. Looking for a fresh start, Jess jets off to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben, even though he didn’t seem all too thrilled with having her crash with him. When Jess shows up in Paris, however, she’s surprised to find Ben’s apartment is nicer than anything she’d imagined he’d be able to afford. And also he’s not there. The longer her half-brother stays missing, the more Jess starts investigating Ben’s situation in Paris, his neighbors, his lifestyle, and where he could possibly be.

the verifiers jane pek

The Verifiers by Jane Pek (February 22)

The Verifiers is Jane Pek’s debut novel, introducing amateur sleuth Claudia Lin. Claudia loves mystery novels, wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, and she believes she’s landed her ideal job. She’s just been recruited by Veracity, a referral-only online dating detective agency. But when one of the agency’s clients goes missing, Claudia finds herself breaking the rules to dive deep into the secret world of people’s online lives and corporate deceit.

the paradox hotel book cover

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart (February 22)

In this sci-fi mystery novel, readers are introduced to the Paradox Hotel, a hotel where wealthy guests stay while wait for their “flights” into the past. The hotel is close to a time port, and January Cole is the head of security in this hotel. But now a blizzard has hit, meaning no one is making it to their trips to the past any time soon, and everyone is stuck in the hotel. And to make matters worse, January suspects there’s a murderer on the loose. The only problem? January is the only one who can see the corpse in question.

Homicide and Halo-Halo cover

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala (March 8)

Did you love 2020’s Arsenic and Adobo? Here’s the next book in the series, Homicide and Halo-Halo. In this book, Lila Macapagal’s town of Shady Palms is bringing back the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which Lila won years ago. But then the head judge in the pageant gets murdered, and Lila’s cousin (and rival) becomes the prime suspect. Now the two cousins must put their differences aside and solve this case, because one of them might be next.

cover of Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett

Like A Sister by Kellye Garrett (March 8)

In Like A Sister, the body of reality TV star Desiree Pierce is discovered on a playground in the Bronx the morning after her 25th birthday party. Everyone is quick to call the death an overdose, but Desiree’s estranged half-sister Lena Scott knows this can’t be what happened. Despite the fact that Lena hasn’t spoken to her sister for years, she’s determined to find out what happened to Desiree. And to get justice for her sister.

burn down rise up book cover

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado (April 3)

Burn Down, Rise Up is a young adult mystery about a group of friends determined to save their city. In the Bronx, people have started going missing, and no one can explain these strange disappearances. At first, 16-year-old Raquel tries to ignore it. After all, police only look for missing white kids. But then her crush Charlize’s cousin goes missing, and Raquel’s mother comes down with a mysterious illness that seems to be linked to the disappearances. When Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate what’s happening to the people and city they care about, they discover that all of these disappearances might be connected to an urban legend called the Echo Game.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston book cover

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (May 3)

Chloe Green is determined to become the valedictorian of her high school, and the only person standing in her way is classmate Shara Wheeler. Then a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe…and then disappears. When Chloe goes searching for answers to what happened to Shara, she discovers that she wasn’t the only one Shara kissed. There was also Smith, Shara’s quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor. The only thing Chloe, Smith, and Rory have in common is the kiss and the cryptic notes Shara left behind. But now the three must work together to figure out what happened to Shara and bring her back — so that Chloe can beat her for valedictorian fair and square.

the woman in the library book cover

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (June 7)

Who doesn’t love a mystery set in a library? This mystery novel all starts on a quiet day in the reading room at the Boston Public Library. Out of nowhere, a scream shatters the calm. Security guards rush to investigate straight away, and they ask everyone else to remain where they are until they can figure out what happened. While stuck inside the reading room, four strangers who just happened to be sitting at the same table strike up a conversation. Each of them has their own reason for being in the reading room that day. And each of them has a secret. Is one of them a murderer?

the it girl book cover

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (July 12)

Of course, this list would not be complete without the latest from best-selling mystery/thriller author Ruth Ware. The It Girl is a page-turning mystery novel about Hannah Jones and her friend April Clark-Cliveden, who was the first person Hannah met at Oxford University. April was one of those women that people are just naturally drawn to. She was vivacious, bright, and yes, sometimes cruel. But she was the ultimate It girl, and Hannah was lucky enough to be a part of her inner circle, which also included their friends Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. But by the end of their second term, April was dead. Ten years have passed since April’s death, and the man convicted of killing April has died in prison. However, just when Hannah thinks the past is behind her, a young journalist presents new evidence that suggests Neville may have been innocent. Wanting to know the truth about what happened to April, Hannah reconnects with old friends. Could one of them be capable of murder?

the storyteller's death book cover

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal (October 4)

The Storyteller’s Death is a family saga and a mystery from International Latino Book Award–winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal. After the death of Isla Larsen Sanchez’s grandmother, Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. Isla can see the tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying in front of her. When one of Isla’s visions reveals an old murder mystery, she realizes she must solve it, or these visions could become dangerous.


Did the mystery book you’re most looking forward to make the list? Hopefully you’ve got some new mystery books to add to your TBR in 2022. And if you can’t wait and want more mystery novels that are available to read right now, here are some of the best mystery books you’ve never heard of. And here are 26 of the best cozy mysteries.