2 Fun Murder Mysteries to Read

by MK French

It's too hot to do anything but sit in the AC (or in the pool) and read. Here are two fun murder mysteries that would be great for a day of reading.

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Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern

July 2025; Bantam; 978-0593500682
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); mystery

Katie True has opened her own tarot reading room, but the murder of veteran police officer Matthew Peterson shakes the community. He had saved her life as a child, so Katie is especially hit hard. On top of this, her best friend Gina is the primary suspect and her innocence isn't a given.

This is the sequel to Play the Fool. There, she used her intuition and knowledge of the Tarot to help solve a murder. It's in that book that we first meet her older friend Gina, who is prickly and secretive of the many twists and turns her past had taken, as well as Jamie Roth, the detective that she wound up working with. He's new to the area and an outsider, which means he and Katie have the most objective view of Officer Peterson. She uses her intuition and Tarot readings of those close to the crime, and learn more about him and those closest to him than she had ever cared to learn.

Within the story, we have the investigation, but also many chapters in the book open with Katie learning Tarot from her aunt Rosie, who was seen as the family flake. The cards tie into the connections she has with the people she's investigating, show us the meaning of the major arcana cards, and also give us a better look into Katie's psyche.

Buy Tricks of Fortune at Amazon

Sounds Like Trouble by Pamela Samuels Young and Dwayne Alexander Smith 

July 2025; Atria Books; 978-1668024324
audio, ebook, print (256 pages); mystery

Jackson Jones and Mackenzie “Mac” Cunningham are a private investigator team that can’t agree on anything. Jackson is the flashy one, but Mackenzie is a little more practical. Their latest case involves tracking down a package for the infamous gangster Big Ced and two of his mafia don associates. A police investigator is following them, and Mackenzie flirts with him, sparking Jackson’s jealousy. The two run through LA dodging bullets, bad guys, and their feelings for each other.

Jackson and Mackenzie are separately brought in to work for Big Ced and two other major mafiosos, as they were blackmailed for a long time, and the man in question is in the hospital. He has a failsafe to reveal his blackmail material if anything happens to him, so it's now a race to get to this data. The LAPD is fully aware of the meeting, and someone else is after the same information. We have a ticking clock and competition, increasing the stakes before we even hit the first quarter of the book. Everywhere the pair turns, they're dogged by a masked figure who keeps trying to kill them. It adds more danger to their search, and the police interaction increases the tension and risk of mobsters getting to them.

The feeling between the partners is one of frustrated affection that might become more, though they're very careful not to push that. Some personality traits are directly opposite each other, but at the end of the day, they're both proud people who have a strong work ethic. It was a fun balancing act, and I was concerned for their safety as the novel progressed. The pair has a great professional future, which will be fun to read about.

Buy Sounds Like Trouble at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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