7 Mystery & Thriller Books to Read for Leo Season

Following a devastating childhood trauma, famous novelist Brooks Anderson suffered through years of turmoil. But now he has the stable life he's always wanted, sober and loved by his wife and two children.

Unfortunately, the nightmares and sleepwalking keep him from embracing that hard-won happiness. No matter what he does, he can't seem to escape the horror of the night his mother and brother were senselessly murdered in Montauk when he was just eight years old.

Brooks was the sole survivor of the slaughter, but it left him catatonic. While he thought he had pushed all his demons deep down, an unscrupulous journalist was digging everything back up again.

Desperate to keep the truth from being twisted into something sordid, Brooks sets out to write his own book on the tragedy. And then the journalist is found brutally murdered.

Now Brooks' life is upturned all over again, and he must wade through his memories of that awful summer long ago to prove his innocence in the present. But the truth is a difficult unraveling which may just bring him toe-to-toe with the real monster of Montauk.

When it comes to Leos, it's true that you won't see a lot of darkness hanging over their heads. They tend to dedicate themselves to cheer and warmth.

But sometimes darkness is unavoidable, and when this fire sign has to face it, they are determined to steer the narrative. Leos can be stubborn and inflexible, which are vital to helping them weather hard times, and like Brooks in this riveting tale, they absolutely hate being excluded from the story.

It's been nearly 10 years since famous magician Violet Volk pulled a vanishing act in the middle of her performance. But this was no illusion, she never reappeared with a wink and a bow—she was gone for good.

Though Violet adored the limelight, her sister Sasha was relegated to being the responsible one. Now, even with her sister long gone, it seems like she still can't escape the chaos of Violet's life.

Cameron Frank has big plans to catapult himself into fame by hosting a podcast all about Violet and her disappearance. But in order to ensure his gig is a success, he's got to score an exclusive interview with Sasha.

The anniversary of Violet's disappearance is fast approaching, and Cameron's podcast is starting to make waves as he pursues Sasha more and more doggedly. But Sasha is a bit distracted by her strange new episodes of sleepwalking…

It's no secret that Leos love attention and drama, so the whirlwind of Violet Volk will keep you glued to the page.

Billy Bonham optimistically starts up his own private detective agency, even though everything he knows about the job comes from Humphrey Bogart. PI Cat DeLuca knows his inexperience makes her old friend a train wreck at best and dangerous at worst.

It's not long before Billy is in over his head with a case of murder and a stolen pair of diamond earrings that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. His client is Cristina McTigue, an outrageous and insufferable woman who is being chased by men trying to kill her.

When Billy is shot down in the street, Cat has to step up to save his obnoxious client and catch a killer. Luckily, she has help from her steamy FBI boyfriend, a gorgeous ex-spy, and her boisterous Italian family of cops.

Leos' hearts go pitter-patter at the thought of extravagance and glamour, so they won't be able to resist following the trail of a Hollywood icon's diamonds. This fire sign will also love the flashy personalities and the warmth permeating Cat's support system.

Finlay Donovan is a single mother of two who's drowning under stress as she struggles to get by as a novelist. Not much is going well for her right now; her agent is waiting for a book she hasn't written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and, following a run-in with a pair of scissors, she just had to duct tape her four-year-old's hair to her head and send her off to school.

Things only get crazier when someone overhears her talking to her agent about her new suspense novel and mistakes her for a contract killer. Somehow, Finlay accepts the job to make a problematic husband disappear.

Fictional crime is a lot easier for Finlay than the real thing, and soon she's knee-deep in an all too real murder investigation.

Leos thrive off of good humor, so a funny mystery book like this will have them hooked. Plus, they'll find a kindred spirit in Finlay's creativity.

Speaking of creativity, mystery plots don't get more unique than in Nine Lives to Murder. Plus this delightful read offers a theatrical flair that will tickle any Leo.

Winstanley Fortescue is a Shakespearean actor who has quite a reputation with the ladies. But the hound dog gets a nasty surprise when someone pushes him off a ladder and he switches bodies with the theater's cat.
 
There's a bit of a learning curve to walking around on four legs, but his new form helps Winstanley prowl around undetected for answers about his would-be murderer.

A mystery novelist of meager popularity, Harriet Vane finds herself accused of murdering her fiancé, a well-known proponent of free love. Harriet bought an array of poisons over the past few weeks—strychnine, prussic acid, arsenic—and now her beloved has been found dead with enough toxins in him to kill him several times over.

Lord Peter Wimsey can't resist a look at the most exceptionally exciting murder case London has seen in years. Unfortunately, the trial seems to be only a parade of salacious details which leads to the undeniable conclusion that Harriet is guilty.

Yet Lord Peter not only begins to question her guilt, but to fall in love with her. Now as Harriet waits to be hanged, Lord Peter scrambles to prove this enchanting woman is innocent.

Lord Peter Wimsey is the perfect detective to pull a Leo into a book. With his vanity, pride, and charisma, he speaks to the very core of this fire sign.

In December of 1926, mystery author Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days. Investigators found her empty car near a pond, with her fur coat left inside, despite the frigid chill in the air.

Her husband and daughter had no leads as to where Christie might be. A hefty manhunt was launched to track down the writer—only for her to reappear nearly two weeks later, offering no explanations and alleging amnesia.

To this day, no one knows what happened during that time. But author Marie Benedict writes this gripping tale of fiction to fill in the blanks.

As Leos are also known as the sign of the Lion, these individuals love to be the best at everything—the kings and queens of whatever room they enter. So how could they resist a story about the Queen of Crime herself?