Murder in the heat: Sizzling suspense for your summer reading list
Life is chaotic and it makes me nervous. I chew all day, grazing an endless pasture, constant rumination on unresolved mysteries. Unanswered questions are a daily facet. Loose threads are left hanging for years, decades. Worrying and wondering make my head steam up – sometimes I can hardly see through the humidity.
Fictional mysteries are an antidote to real agonies. A good book makes suspense taste sweeter than sour, closer to anticipation than dread. Satisfaction guaranteed like a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that fits together just the way it’s supposed to. No missing pieces.
Better the Blood
by Michael Bennett
A killer’s cryptic message thrusts a detective into a deadly game where every clue ties back to her Māori heritage, forcing her to reckon with the past before more blood is spilled.
Bright Young Women
by Jessica Knoll
Inspired by a real celebrity serial killer’s final spree of terror, this novel brings together two women in their relentless pursuit of a notorious American murderer.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
by Catherine Mack
On a glamorous coastal book tour, mystery author Eleanor finds herself in a real life whodunit when her ex-boyfriend is targeted by a killer.
Nightwatching
by Tracy Sierra
Trapped in a blizzard with her children, a mother hears slow, heavy footsteps on the stairs. She has only moments to decide: hide, run, or fight?
Check out thousands of suspenseful jigsaws on Libby to bring a sense of completion to even the hottest days with the highest humidity. Start scattered, it’s okay – the picture becomes clear in the end.
*Title availability varies by library
Published Dec 26, 2025
Gryphon Beyerle
Gryphon Beyerle is an account manager at Libby specializing in international publisher services. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she’s stuck in a Groundhog-Day-style loop of snacking, reading, and napping.