Mysteries & Thrillers by Black Authors

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicola Yoon’s daring new work of dystopian horror is a propulsive satire set in an all-Black gated community. With wry, razor-sharp social commentary, One of Our Kind explores the ways in which freedom is complicated by the presumptions we make about ourselves and each other.

A twisty and prescient new thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling Avery Keene series, by nationally renowned author and leader Stacey Abrams, Coded Justice follows Avery down a dark rabbit hole into the breathtaking — and dangerous — use of AI in the medical industry.

A marriage on the rocks, a missing friend, and a tangle of shocking lies converge at a peaceful North Carolina lakefront cottage in this irresistibly twisty new psychological thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shanora Williams — perfect for readers of Liv Constantine, Tarryn Fisher, Kellye Garrett, and Caroline Kepnes.

Part thriller, part horror, this small-town suspense tale is a hypnotic, atmospheric novel that’s spellbinding from start to finish. Liz doesn’t have great memories of her hometown in Pennsylvania, but she reluctantly goes home to attend her best friend’s wedding. But when a young girl goes missing at the reception, Liz is the only one to recognize a pattern. Suddenly, she finds herself on the path to discovering what’s happening to the missing Black girls in the woods.

An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel.

Parasite meets Such a Fun Age in a scorching debut that is as heartbreaking as it is thrilling, examining the intersection of race, class, and female friendship, and the devastating consequences of everyday actions. After her best friend’s mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith’s picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control — soon the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend’s death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it.

A maternal gothic tale of new motherhood and the torment of a centuries-old haunting. Before the shadow appeared, Sofia thought mothering would be all sun-drenched light and white linen sheets, but her postpartum reality is overtaken by an ominous figure. Sleep-deprivation collides with a darkness that creeps in and begins to spread, threatening to consume her entirely. As her grip on reality slips away, Sofia learns of an insidious haunting that has plagued the eldest daughters in her family for generations. With her baby’s safety on the line, Sofia realizes she must confront her murky history or risk losing more than just the veneer of perfection.

No Black mystery and thriller list would be complete without adding the incomparable Walter Mosley. His Easy Rawlins mystery series — which reached new popularity with the film Devil in a Blue Dress — is an ongoing series about a Los Angeles-based detective. In Charcoal Joe, Easy believes he’s on the right track to finding happiness. He’s opened up a new detective agency and is ready to propose to his girlfriend. But when he gets a case that involves the son of Joe’s friend, a teen with a promising future, Easy must clear the boy’s name to ensure he stays on the right path.

Travel back in time to the 1960s in Harlem, New York where Ray Carney is trying to make an earnest living as a furniture salesman. While so many people around him have turned to crime to make a living — his father included — Ray has worked hard for his wife and children, the honest way. But when he helps his cousin Freddie, Ray suddenly finds himself surrounded by petty thieves, hustlers, and crooked cops, and he’s finding it hard to not get caught up in the lifestyle he’s been trying to avoid.

Yrsa is bored: Bored with her PhD program, her entitled students, and the never-ending pages of racial violence and feminist theory she has to read. But most of all, she’s bored with the men in her life — especially the bad ones. And then, one sunny afternoon, she accidentally kills one and, well, she’s no longer bored … A wickedly funny, adrenaline-rush of a novel about a graduate student who murders bad men and justifies it in the name of feminism, by a bold new voice in fiction.

This dark comedy thriller follows two sisters. One sister, Ayoola has a habit of disposing of her lovers … permanently. Her hardworking sister Korede, is tired of cleaning up after her sister, but unfortunately continues to enable her beautiful sister’s antics. But now, her sister’s charm is hitting close to home when Ayoola sets her eyes on a man Korede has a crush on.

From the Bram Stoker award-nominated author of The Spite House comes a bone-chilling novel about a private investigator hired by a mysterious billionaire to discover why he can’t die. Bold, atmospheric, and utterly frightening, Johnny Compton’s Dead First is spine-chilling supernatural horror about the pursuit of power and the undying need for reckoning.

This multi-generational saga follows a gifted, young Black musician who is set to perform at a prestigious music competition, using his grandfather’s violin. Ray McMillian has worked tirelessly to make a name for himself in the cutthroat world of classical music, which too often discredits people of color.  When he finds out that his grandfather’s heirloom violin is actually a rare, priceless instrument, the family who had once owned Ray’s ancestors comes out of the woodwork demanding that it belongs to them. They will stop at nothing to get it, but Ray will stop at nothing to keep it.

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery, you’re in luck. Set in the Midwest, Bronwyn Crewse, also known as Win, has just graduated from business school and is returning home to run her family’s ice cream parlor.  She plans to make some much-needed changes to restore the family business to its former glory. But a series of delays put her plans on ice … literally. The opening day coincides with the first snowfall of the winter, and to make matters worse, Win finds a dead man in the snow! When the dead man turns out to be a long-time nemesis of the Crewse family, Win’s dad becomes the main suspect. Can Win run her business and clear her father’s name?

Get ready to be transported back to the 1920s in this exciting historical mystery that takes place during the Harlem Renaissance.  After escaping from a kidnapper in her teens, Louise Lloyd is just trying to live a normal life, spending time with her girlfriend and working hard at her job in a speakeasy. But when several girls in her neighborhood are found murdered, Louise’s past comes to the forefront. The police give her an ultimatum: Help them solve the mystery or end up in a jail cell. Louise decides to face her fears and find out who is behind these murders, but is she in over her head?