12 Mysteries & Thrillers by Diverse Authors
Although crime fiction still has a long way to go in terms of representation, we’ve recently been getting more fantastic books by a wide range of authors of color. From high-stakes heists to murder mysteries, these mysteries & thrillers by diverse authors are not to be missed. This is in no way an exhaustive list, but hopefully, a good place to start expanding your reading horizons.
Imani Banks lives in a posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that has just been rocked to its core. An acclaimed movie director has been murdered, and his blond trophy wife—Imani’s closest friend—is missing. Their neighbors, along with the media, jump to the conclusion that Melissa Walker has killed her husband in a fit of rage and is on the run.
Fortunately for the missing actress, Imani is a psychiatrist as well as a steadfast friend. She will never give up her search and is determined to prove Melissa’s innocence. It shouldn’t take a degree in human behavior to know that Melissa would never leave her daughter behind.
Recently, Imani and her chef husband rented some extra rooms in their house to a struggling waitress from his restaurant. Tonya Sayre has moved in with her teen daughter and the convenient timing and her suspicious behavior soon lead Imani to suspect that the true killer is living right under her own roof. Now all she has to do is prove it.
Related: Five Domestic Thrillers To Send Chills Up Your Spine
Buried in debt due to his young daughter’s illness, his marriage at the brink, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, Mario agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel’s cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. Along with an old friend and a cartel-insider named Juanca, Mario sets off on the near-suicidal mission, which will leave him with either a cool $200,000 or a bullet in the skull. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems. As the three complicated men travel through the endless landscape of Texas, across the border and back, their hidden motivations are laid bare alongside nightmarish encounters that defy explanation. One thing is certain: even if Mario makes it out alive, he won’t return the same.
Robin Peguero’s debut novel explores the prejudice within every trial. In this legal thriller, seven jurors must decide the fate of the trial for Melina Mora’s murder. A young prosecutor, Sandy Grunwald, depends on securing a conviction for her political ambitions. On the other side is Jordan Whipple, a public defender who discovers evidence that could change the course of the trial. Judge Tackett, Sandy, and Jordan know that the criminal justice system is complicated. The jury, with their biases and beliefs, will shape the verdict.
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Emily Hoang is a writer and editor who is obsessed with haunted houses, ghosts, and dreams. More info can be found on her website.