October is officially over, and while that may cause dismay for Halloween lovers, it also means we are now fully within the cozy chill of fall.
So, if you’re looking for new ways to spend foliage-filled gray days and drafty nights as winter makes its gradual approach, here are ten new mystery and thriller books coming out this November that pair perfectly with a thick blanket, a warm mug of tea, and a good scented candle.
From philosophical crime fiction in Colombia to cozy mysteries in corn mazes to thrilling tales of Tokyo real estate swindles and murder among the Vietnamese elite, these 10 new books coming in November cover all your mystery and thriller needs.
Those Opulent Days: A Mystery
Childhood best friends Duy, Phong, Minh, and Edmond have watched each other grow into the most powerful men in French-colonial Saigon at the helm of their families’ business empires.
One fateful night, in an opulent mansion in the hills of Dalat, the friends gather for a night of revelry that ends with one of them dead and the rest of them—suspects.
The investigation that ensues jumps timelines between the night of the murder and the week leading up to it, unfolding from the perspectives of the four friends, their mothers, their servants, and their lovers. Everyone has loyalties to abide and secrets to keep.
The specter of French colonialism and wealth inequality looms large over the plot as it reaches its devastating and inevitable culmination.
Ghosts of Waikiki: A Novel
Journalist Maya Wong is left with few options when the newspaper she writes for shuts down. Desperate for some income beyond the occasional freelance assignment, she begrudgingly returns to her native Hawaiʻi to ghostwrite the biography of controversial land developer Parker Hamilton.
When Hamilton’s dead body is discovered under suspicious circumstances, Maya’s interest in her subject’s life only grows. Determined to follow through on her investigation, Maya teams up with detective Koa Yamada, her ex-partner and the only friend willing to support her involvement with Hamilton.
Maya grows convinced the police are after the wrong man—and when mysterious attackers attempt to take her life, she’s sure she’s onto something.
Can she stop the real killer before it’s too late?
Darkly
Arcadia “Dia” Gannon is shocked and thrilled when she is chosen for a selective summer internship with her all-time favorite gaming company, Darkly.
Even after its iconic founder Louisiana Veda died under mysterious circumstances, her company has maintained a cult-like following, with some rare remaining games selling for millions.
As Dia and her fellow interns navigate their first days Darkly, their excitement turns to apprehension as they realize everything at the company is not as it seems.
As they unravel buried secrets, hidden clues, and webs of intrigue, they start to question who their fellow interns are, why they were chosen, and what dangerous secrets they—and Darkly—keep.
Dia may have just landed herself at the center of Darkly’s most twisted game .
Guilt and Ginataan (A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery Book 5)
It’s autumn in Shady Palms, and the whole town is getting ready for its annual Corn Festival, complete with tasty treats, local crafts, and the second-largest corn maze in Illinois.
Lila Macapagal has offered to whip up some treats from her Brew-ha Cafe, and during the excitement, she and her crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, bet on who they think will be able to get through the maze the fastest.
Adeena wins, but it’s no cause for celebration: she is found unconscious at the center of the maze holding a bloody knife, the dead body of a politician’s wife lying next to her.
Lila knows Adeena couldn’t have done it, but if she wants to absolve her friend of suspicion, she’s going to have to figure out who did—before it’s too late.
You Can't Hurt Me
Eva and Nate Reid make quite a pair: Eva is immune to the physical sensation of pain, while scientist Nate studies the sensation in his renowned Pain Laboratory. Their seemingly perfect union is shattered Eva is found dead in her home.
The circumstances of her death raise a host of questions about who was with her the night she died, and if they may have had a hand it. More hungry for answers than anyone else is cut-throat journalist Anna Tate, who has her own dark past to hide.
To get the inside scoop, Anna offers to work with Dr. Reid on a biography in progress of his late wife, who was also his former patient.
The more she inserts herself into the relationship of this twisted couple, the more she realizes its dubious origins are just the tip of the iceberg. Anna is determined uncover the whole truth—no matter how painful.
The House of Cross
In the latest installation of James Patterson’s Alex Cross thrillers, now a TV series on Prime Video, someone is picking off candidates for the Supreme Court one by one.
There’s only one person who can crack the case: Detective Alex Cross.
As the FBI’s top expert in criminal behavior, Cross is confident he can track down the killer. He soon realizes, however, that this diabolical mastermind is no ordinary assassin.
To save his family, city, and country, Cross will have to get inside the mind of one of the most dangerous people in the country—and hope he comes out with his own mind in one piece.
The Author's Guide to Murder
Famous author Brett Saffron Presley is found murdered in the library of his historic gothic castle in the Scottish highlands the night of the town’s annual ceilidh.
The suspicion immediately falls on the three other writers in the house with him: Kat de Noir, a sly erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six with as many cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a member of the New England elite and renowned historical fiction author.
The women claim to be friends writing a book together, but when local Detective Euan McIntosh presses each of them, their stories of how they know the deceased writer don’t quite line up.
So begins this playful whodunnit that’s part locked room mystery, part witty satire about the literary world, and 100% fun.
Tokyo Swindlers
In the aftermath of the tragic loss of his family, Takumi gets sucked into a multi-million-dollar real estate swindle masterminded by infamous Tokyo land scammer Harrison Yamanaka.
Their biggest threat is Detective Tatsu, who’s looking to take Yamanaka down once and for all before he finally retires.
Throughout his investigation, Detective Tatsu discovers Yamanaka’s strange connection to Takumi’s past before Takumi even encountered his scheme.
As the motives and deceptions of these three characters converge and intertwine, shocking secrets threaten to emerge that will upend the lives of everyone involved in this story’s shocking outcome.
Originally published in Japanese in 2020, Tokyo Swindlers comes to audiences in English for the first time this November, preceded by a Netflix series of the same title this summer.
Every Arc Bends Its Radian
In this existential detective novel from PEN award-winning author Sergio de la Pava, Riv, a poet, philosopher, and private eye, travels to Cali, Colombia, hoping to outrun a horrific incident involving his ex Jane.
He accidentally connects with his cousin Mauro and family friend Carlotta, who asks him to find her daughter Angelica.
Riv is on the case, but it quickly becomes apparent to him that the police are sabotaging his own attempts to find Angelica. Given that the police answer more to crime lord Exeter Mondragon than to the people of Cali, Riv knows he should leave well enough alone.
Instead, he continues his search for Angelica, taking him into the treacherous heart of Cali’s criminal underworld where he is forced to confront not only unspeakable horrors, but some of the most profound and perplexing conundrums of the human condition.
Darjeeling Dead: A Tearoom Mystery
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and instead of prepping for a delicious holiday meal like everybody else, tearoom owner Abigail Beanblossom is busy solving a murder. A body has washed up on a local beach, and all evidence points to Abigail’s Tea and Tarot cafe.
With her boyfriend out of town, Abigail teams up with her business partner and tarot reader Hyperion Night to crack the case before their tea room takes the fall and Thanksgiving is ruined.