NYT Bestselling Author Allison Brennan’s Favorite Romantic Suspense & Mystery Books

I cut my writing chops on romantic suspense, penning twelve “romantic thrillers” from 2006 through 2009. That meant a strong thriller plot with two characters who fall in love by the end of the book. The higher the stakes, the more satisfying the happily-ever-after.

I’ve always loved romantic suspense, but my strength was crime, so when I launched the Lucy Kincaid series I made the romance between her and her boyfriend-then-husband Sean Rogan a subplot and focused on the crimes in each book. By the time I wrote my Maxine Revere cold case mystery series then the Quinn & Costa thriller series, the romance was always in the deep background, dwarfed by murder, betrayal, and violent crime. The decision to kiss (or more!) or not kiss in each book was directly connected to whether the romance would advance the plot or make sense for the characters in the circumstances.

Then I had the opportunity to write a romantic mystery, where the romance and mystery were co-equals. I jumped at the opportunity. Because sometimes, going back to your roots doesn’t mean going backward, it means expanding your writing palette.

No writer wants to be bored, because if we’re bored, the reader will be bored. If we’re excited when writing the book … chances are the reader will be turning pages.

Then I realized, there is a big difference between romantic suspense (high stakes, big thrills, violent interactions) and romantic mystery (cozier, violence mostly off-page, some humor). So I did a deep dive reading in the genre. Here are some of my favorites:

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Elle Cosimano

Laugh out loud funny, the five-books-and-counting series features a romance writer and divorced mother of two who is mistaken for a hired assassin while meeting her agent at Panera Bread. I fell in love with Finlay on page one and have devoured all five books the day they were released. And yes, there is a strong romantic subplot with hot cop Nick Anthony as well as a fun (and funny) female friendship with her kids’ nanny, Vero.

Format

Hardcover

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around February 2, 2021. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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The Dead Guy Next Door

Lucy Score

Another hilarious romp firmly in the romantic suspense camp. Riley Thorne is a reluctant psychic, but when she gets a vision of her neighbor being murdered and then thwarts a PI she thinks is a killer, hijinks ensue. Nick Santiago is the love interest, and every single secondary character from Riley’s family to her dad’s cow to the old people who rent rooms in the same house as Riley are fun and so well done. Four books … and maybe more? I really hope so.

Format

Trade Paperback

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Naked in Death

J. D. Robb

I started reading this series before I knew that J.D. Robb was Nora Roberts. There are (I think) nearly 75 novels and novellas, and I’ve read them all. This is pure romantic suspense set in future NYC with a down-to-earth female homicide detective who marries the richest man on or off planet. There is romance and a good mystery in every book. The large cast of well-developed secondary characters make each new book a visit with old friends.

Format

UK- A Format Paperback

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The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Ally Carter

Then there are the one-offs, stand alone romantic mysteries that I have greatly enjoyed. At the top of that list is The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. This was the first book I’ve read by Ally, though my youngest daughter has read all of her YA books. It was pitch perfect – a humorous mystery in the vein of Knives Out, with a believable and fun romance between two writers who hate each other, set on a remote estate in England owned by one of the most successful mystery writers of all time … who promptly disappears.

Format

Hardcover

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around September 24, 2024. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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If you ever peruse my Goodreads page, it’s generally filled with thrillers (C.J. Box, Gregg Hurwitz, Lisa Gardner, Robert Crais – who is my absolute favorite) or romances (Nora Roberts, Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez.) But my heart will always be with romantic suspense. Because sometimes, a happily-ever-after is all you need after putting the bad guys behind bars.

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Discover the Book

Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

Allison Brennan

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself–for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island. Flirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving headfirst into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target.

Format

Hardcover

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around June 17, 2025. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan’s 49^th book. She lives in Arizona with her family and assorted pets. Check out her re-designed website, allisonbrennan.com.

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