Mystery Book Club

Next date: Monday, April 20, 2026 | 07:00 PM to 08:00 PM

We meet monthly, usually -- but not always! -- on the 4th Monday, 7:00-8:00 p.m., to discuss a mystery book chosen by the group. No registration needed.  To request a copy of the book, click here to do so through our online catalog; or contact us at the email or phone number under the Contact section on the right.

Upcoming books:

April 20, 2026: Murder Crossed Her Mind by Stephen Spotswood

Vera Bodine, an elderly shut-in with an exceptional memory, has gone missing and famed detective Lillian Pentecost and her crackerjack assistant Willowjean “Will” Parker have been hired to track her down. But the New York City of 1947 can be a dangerous place, and there’s no shortage of people who might like to get ahold of what’s in Bodine’s head. (from www.stephenspotswood.com)

May 18, 2026: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. There's Red Ron, the infamous former socialist firebrand, still causing trouble; gentle Joyce, widowed, pining for another resident, but surely not as innocent as she seems; Ibrahim, a former therapist who understands the darker side of human nature; and Elizabeth? Well, no one is quite sure who she really is, but she's definitely not a woman to underestimate. When a local developer is found dead, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. The friends might be septuagenarians, but they are cleverer than most. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before its too late? (from penguinrandomhouse.com)

June 22, 2026: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

When old man Sternwood, a dying millionaire, hires Philip Marlowe to expose the blackmailer of one of his troublesome daughters, Marlowe finds himself involved with more than simple extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, and seduction are just a few of the complications standing in the way of completing the task at hand. And just as Marlowe feels he’s getting ahold of the situation, he discovers the first body. (from penguinrandomhouse.com)

July 27, 2026: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of… (from freidamcfadden.com)

August 24, 2026: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again... (from agathachristie.com)

September 28, 2026: Post-Mortem by Patricia Cornwell

October 26, 2026: Still Life by Louise Penny

As the early morning mist clears on Thanksgiving Sunday, the homes of Three Pines come to life - all except one…

To locals, the village is a safe haven. So they are bewildered when a well-loved member of the community is found lying dead in the maple woods. Surely it was an accident - a hunter's arrow gone astray. Who could want Jane Neal dead?

In a long and distinguished career with the Sûreté du Quebec, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has learned to look for snakes in Eden. Gamache knows something dark is lurking behind the white picket fences, and if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will begin to give up its secrets… (from louisepenny.com)

November 23, 2026: 4:50 to Paddington by Agatha Christie

For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman’s throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away. But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses… and no corpse. (from agathachristie.com)

December 28, 2026: Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. But her merriment goes cold when she spots a woman lurking in the stacks—a woman with a striking resemblance to Sandee Brisbane. The Sandee Brisbane who shot and killed Goldy’s ex-husband, the Jerk. It sure looks like her, but it can’t be because Sandee is dead. Or so everyone believes.

But the holiday madness is only just beginning. Soon the body of Jed Borholtz, a former district attorney turned high-end map dealer, is found in a corner of the library—with a map worth thousands of dollars hidden in his clothing. Goldy is convinced the allegedly dead Sandee Brisbane is involved. Now all she has to do is prove it—if she can stay alive that is. . . . (from harpercollins.com)

Stay tuned for future titles!

Past titles:

• The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
• Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
• The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
• The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
• The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen
• A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
• Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• The Caveman's Valentine by George Dawes Green
• Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
• In the Woods by Tana French
• The Maid by Nita Prose
• Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg.

   

When

Location

Conference Room, Whippany, 07981