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This is one of my favorite genres. Here are some LDS authors I recommend.

Traci Hunter Abramson
I think my favorites from her are
Deep Cover and
Crossfire

Stephanie Black
My favorites from her:
Methods of Madness and
Rearview Mirror

Gregg Luke
My favorites from him:
Bloodborne and
Deadly Undertakings

I plan to read both these books in the next few weeks:

The Angel Court Affair by Anne Perry
and
Failsafe by Traci Hunter Abramson
Looking forward to both of them. Does anyone else have mystery or suspense novels on their to-read lists? (Or books in a different genre?) Go ahead and tell us what you want to read next!

This is one of my favorite genres too :) (and thank you for the mention, Amanda!).I want to read The Angel Court Affair--Anne Perry is an amazing author with such gorgeous, lyrical writing. And she's so lovely and gracious in person too!

A very fun and well-written mystery series is Josi Kilpack's Sadie Hoffmiller mysteries, starting with Lemon Tart. Lemon Tart.

Jordan McCollum's spy novels are witty, fun, and clean. I, Spy

I've also enjoyed Rachel Ann Nunes's Autumn Rains mystery series: The protagonist has psychic abilities that add a fun twist to the stories. And Betsy Brannon Green is another fun LDS mystery author who has written several different series, including the popular Haggerty mysteries. Betsy Brannon Green

I'll second some of those!

I, Spy by Jordan McCollum was great. Really hard to put down.

And I read several of Josi Kilpack's culinary mysteries. I loved that the villain was a surprise, but it always made sense. (I'm not a fan of mysteries that don't give the reader enough clues, so when the big reveal comes, you're left scratching your head.) I hope she writes more cozy mysteries in the future.

Here are the ones I read:


Stephanie, do you have a favorite by Betsy Brannon Green? I haven't read any of her books, but I'd like to try one.

I'm not Stephanie, but if you start with Betsy Brannon Green's Hearts in Hiding, you'll have the basis for all her Haggerty people who appear later in the series. (She's one of my favorite authors!)

I also enjoy Jennie Hansen's mysteries. There are so many, but some of my favorites are Code Red, Run Away Home, If I Should Die and When Tomorrow Comes.

Thanks Julie! I guess I'll start with Hearts in Hiding!

Thanks for posting Jennie Hansen's mysteries. I really enjoyed one of her historical books. I love that there are so many choices!

And speaking of good choices, I've got a few of Julie Coulter Bellon's books on my to-read list. Here are some of her books:

Thanks for the shout out, Amanda! Just in case anyone is interested, the first book in my Hostage Negotiation series, All Fall Down, is on sale right now for .99 cents and the companion novella, Falling Slowly, is free when you sign up for my author newsletter on my website.

Julie wrote: "Thanks for the shout out, Amanda! Just in case anyone is interested, the first book in my Hostage Negotiation series, All Fall Down, is on sale right now for .99 cents and the companion novella, Fa..."

Yea! I'm excited. Thanks for the heads-up, Julie. I love great deals.

Amanda, Betsy Brannon Green's Murder by the Book is really fun.

Thanks, Stephanie! (Maybe I need to read more than one.)

I just finished reading Desert Rain by Jean Holbrook Mathews, Cryptic Cipher by Deaver Acey, and have almost finished Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson. All three are great Mystery/Suspense novels. I'll probably review them for next week's column.

Jennie wrote: "I just finished reading Desert Rain by Jean Holbrook Mathews, Cryptic Cipher by Deaver Acey, and have almost finished Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson. All three are great Mystery/Suspense novels. ..."

Here are the links to Jennie's books she recommended.

There are Clair Poulson's as well. I read Silent Sting a few weeks ago and was reminded why I've loved all of his books!

Jennie wrote: "I just finished reading Desert Rain by Jean Holbrook Mathews, Cryptic Cipher by Deaver Acey, and have almost finished Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson. All three are great Mystery/Suspense novels. ..."

Here's a link to Jennie's reviews:

I finished both The Angel Court Affair and Failsafe earlier this week, and enjoyed them both. Anne Perry and Traci Hunter Abramson are both consistent in the quality of books they write, and these were both about what I expected.

The Angel Court Affair didn't have me flying through the pages, but it held my interest and the plot came together nicely. Perry uses beautiful language and goes into great details about human nature and loyalties.

I started Failsafe about 28 hours before I needed to finish reading it, but I wasn't all that worried, because Abramson's books are tense, and this was no exception. (I finished it about 3 hours before the deadline.)

New Release:

Royal Brides by Traci Hunter Abramson

Lovely Meridian native Noelle Saldera yearns for adventure, but as the daughter of palace servants, working at Prince Stefano’s royal wedding may be as exciting as her life will get. But her options change drastically when she finds herself in the unlikely position of diffusing a bomb at the ceremony and being enlisted as the newest member of Meridian Intelligence. And with another wedding in the works, there can be no more close calls when Prince Stefano’s brother, Garrett, walks down the aisle.

The bombing attempt at the first royal wedding leaves few clues as to the assailant’s identity. Desperate for answers, Meridian officials enlist CIA agent Jeremy Rogers to prevent a repeat occurrence at the upcoming nuptials. The beauty of the plan: the bride is Jeremy’s sister, so his cover is foolproof. What no one could anticipate is the instant connection between Jeremy and Noelle. Now, with their hearts on the line, the pair must work together to stop a seemingly unstoppable enemy before time runs out.

This is number three in a series:

Can I just say "ditto" to all the above? As I started reading the comments, I'd think to myself Yup! Yup! Yup!... :)

Connie wrote: "Can I just say "ditto" to all the above? As I started reading the comments, I'd think to myself Yup! Yup! Yup!... :)"

It's a fun genre, isn't it?

I especially like the ones written by LDS authors because usually they don't have bad language or steamy romantic elements.

New release:

Whistleblower by Alysia S. Knight

Ex-Army Ranger Zan Master had given up finding the right woman for him until she runs into him, literally, in the middle of a storm.
Now he just has to keep her alive.

Marley Reynold’s flight to stop the company she works for from releasing a drug that would kill thousands of soldiers, lands her in the arms of a man she has no idea how to handle.

Can she help him keep them alive long enough to blow the whistle and discover true love?

New release:

My new novel, The Captain, is out!

Captain Colt Mitchell is part of the elite Griffin Force team hunting down terrorist Nazer al-Raimi. After an attack on the Canadian Parliament buildings, the team gets good intel on Nazer’s whereabouts. They plan to grab him, but when the mission goes wrong, Colt is captured and dragged away. Bruised, restrained, and disoriented, Colt is stunned to see Brenna Wilson, the Canadian intelligence officer who broke his heart years ago, standing next to Nazer. But how deep is she in the operation and can she help Colt escape?

After the devastating attack on Canadian soil, Brenna is recruited to go undercover to find out what Nazer is planning next. She’s close to her goal until her former flame Colt Mitchell is taken hostage. Walking away from him has always been her biggest regret and she knows she has to save him, even if it blows her mission. Taking matters into her own hands, she pulls off a daring escape, but Colt and Brenna must learn to trust each other again if they want to stay alive. With their hearts and their lives on the line can they survive long enough to stop Nazer from ravaging another country’s sense of security?

Julie wrote: "New release:

My new novel, The Captain, is out!

Captain Colt Mitchell is part of the elite Griffin Force team hunting down terrorist Nazer al-Raimi. After an attack on the Canadian Parliament bui..."

Congrat, Julie! Sounds like an awesome read! Is this one a sequel or does it stand alone?

It's Book #2 in the Griffin Force series but can definitely be read stand-alone. :)

Julie wrote: "New release:

My new novel, The Captain, is out!

Captain Colt Mitchell is part of the elite Griffin Force team hunting down terrorist Nazer al-Raimi. After an attack on the Canadian Parliament bui..."

Yea! Exciting. Sounds intense.

Thank you! Of course I'm a bit prejudiced, but I think this is one of my favorite books I've written. Who doesn't love a good second chance romance with a lot of suspense, right? ;)

My friend Amber Gilchrist has a new book out. It's an LDS mystery with a dash of romance, and the main character is a librarian. I beta-read it and loved it. Really excited that's it's a series too.



"The Librarian Shoots a Gun" by Amber Gilchrist.

Lucinda wrote: "My friend Amber Gilchrist has a new book out. It's an LDS mystery with a dash of romance, and the main character is a librarian. I beta-read it and loved it. Really excited that's it's a series too..."

Sounds like a fun heroine!

The Librarian Shoots a Gun: An Audrey Scott Mystery by Amber Gilchrist

I'm always looking for books to consider for reviews on Meridian. I review adult oriented, LDS values books. I prefer print, but will accept electronic if compatible with my Kindle. Contact me here: [email protected]

I just wanted to share my excitement with all of you. My novel, The Captive, AND Liz Adair's novel, The McCarran Collection, were announced as RONE Award finalists for Best Suspense! *throws confetti*

Congrats! That's awesome!

Congratulations!

Thank you ladies!

Congratulations Julie and Liz!

Julie wrote: "I just wanted to share my excitement with all of you. My novel, The Captive, AND Liz Adair's novel, The McCarran Collection, were announced as RONE Award finalists for Best Suspense! *throws confetti*"

Yay!!

Lucinda wrote: "My friend Amber Gilchrist has a new book out. It's an LDS mystery with a dash of romance, and the main character is a librarian. I beta-read it and loved it. Really excited that's it's a series too..."

She sent me a copy to read. I look forward to it.

New release!

My novella, Forget Me Not, was released yesterday! This is a companion novella to my award-winning novel, Pocket Full of Posies, but can be read stand alone. I'm really excited about this one, mostly because I loved writing more about Bart and Lucy's love story.

Julie, I want a review copy.

Jennie, I didn't think you reviewed novellas. I only have Kindle copies, does that work?

I didn't realize it was a novella. Darn!

LOL That's okay! If you ever have some downtime in your reading schedule and want to read it just for yourself, I'm happy to give you a copy! (It's about 70 pages.) You did give Pocket Full of Posies (the full length novel it's based off of) a great review, so I bet you would like it. :)

Isuspect I will like it. I've liked all of your boos so far. I love reading books by authors who know what they're doing.

This could use a little spell checking. I suspect your books

Jennie, I have been a fan of you and your books long before I was ever an author. Your words mean so much to me. Thank you!

New Release:

Window of Secrets: Mission: Oasis de Huacachina by DJ Erfert

A NOVELLA: A hot guy, a hot desert, and abducted teenaged girls spin CIA agent Lucy James� simple mission to Peru into a deadly game of hide and seek.

New Release:

A Date with Danger by Kari Iroz

She just wanted to shake up her love life. Jacklyn (Jack) Wyatt is the typical twenty-five-year-old living the typical Provo single life with the typical bad luck—at least until the FBI recruits her for a completely different type of dating.

A young woman has gone missing, and all signs point to her online dating profile as the kidnapper’s operating ground. But when suspects who crossed paths with the missing girl begin contacting Jack, the FBI sees its opportunity for an inside man—er, woman.

Now Jack will have to play the field, dating each of the men in an attempt to weed out the kidnapper. But with such an unusual array of characters vying for her attention, pinpointing the culprit may prove even harder than finding Mr. Right. And as more young women disappear, will Jack stay professional and objective, even with the handsome Special Agent Damon Wade just a whisper in her hidden microphone away?

New Release:

Beyond the Narrows by M.R. Durbin

After being the subject of an explosive assassination attempt, O'Reilly (Obie) Begay, a retired Navajo archaeologist, finds himself in the middle of the hunt for an ancient record--the personal journal of a Spanish Templar leading to a legendary treasure.

When Obie tracks down the journal, he enlists fellow retirees Peter, Bill, and Jack to assist him in following its clues. Facing gunfights and car chases, the treasure hunters locate a 500-year-old Mayan codex, the next clue on their adventure. Peter's grandson, Charley, and Obie's granddaughter, Mac, come along for the quest, but they may find themselves drawn to a different kind of treasure.

Constantly one tiny step ahead of their enemies as they scour the caves, cliffs, and canyons of Southern Utah, Obie's team will have to rely on each other if they want to reach the treasure before their pursuers. But what will they do if not all in their numbers can be trusted?

I was super excited that my newest novel, The Captain, received the Crowned Heart for Excellence and got a five star review from InD'Tale Magazine yesterday! *happy dance*

My favorite part of the review was, "Julie Coulter Bellon takes the reader on a magnificent journey filled with all the sights and sounds of the Middle East . . . a riveting story filled with excitement, intrigue, and love."

Julie wrote: "I was super excited that my newest novel, The Captain, received the Crowned Heart for Excellence and got a five star review from InD'Tale Magazine yesterday! *happy dance*

My favorite part of the ..."

Congratulations Julie!

Thank you!

New Release:

Waypoint by Heather Tullis

Dani loves the life she’s built working at the salon, but she craves the belonging of family. When she and Kyle start to get serious, she thinks the full life she wants is in reach. Even personal tragedy doesn’t completely destroy what they are building together.

Kyle has been estranged from his family for years but when his dad is in a serious accident, Kyle returns to the family boat shop to run things while he recuperates. He soon learns, however, that the accident is just one link is a chain of problems from someone who is determined to destroy everything their family has—including Kyle’s life with Dani.