The Nora Theory

It’s raining outside as I write this, and as much as I hate the cold, it does always make me want to curl up with a warm drink and a good book. For whatever reason, I always gravitate towards mysteries when the weather is awful outside. A good mystery can make you forget all about the weather and fall into a story instead, and its the perfect complement to rain and snow and cold. Until the sun is shining again, here are the best mysteries to read when the weather sucks.

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The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

A conwoman fueled by bitterness infiltrates the lives of a wealthy golden couple. Everyone in this book has secrets that they are desperate to hide, and all the skeletons in their closets lead the reader on a journey full of unexpected twists and turns.

The Last Mrs. Parrish is a devious and enthralling read. The fancy East Coast Connecticut vibes are perfect for a mystery, and at certain points in this book I was sure I hated all the characters in equal measure, but that’s part of what makes this story really work. It’s a page turner that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.

The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg

I discovered this book in an airport years ago and have read it at least three more times since. Needless to say it is one of my all time favorites and an absolutely perfect wintertime mystery.

Set in a small community in Sweden, The Ice Princess follows a Swedish writer who falls into investigating the murder of her childhood friend, with the help of a local policeman. There are all kinds of juicy twists and turns and all kinds of gossipy intrigues that feel very true to a small town setting.

There is something about Scandinavian mysteries that just work so well (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo is maybe my favorite book of all time) and while this book isn’t quite as perfect as Stieg Larsson’s masterpiece, it’s a very exciting, fast paced mystery that will keep you hooked.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

This book has a fantastic framing device of a true crime sort of podcast, and centers two very different marriages and two very different women who’s connection is that they were born on the same day. The way this book is structured is incredibly interesting, and the twist comes before you expect it. If you’re paying attention you’ll figure it out, but it’s satisfying nonetheless.

None of This is True, as the title suggests, leaves you wondering what is true and what is lies. The characters and their relationships are well fleshed out and the plot will keep you on your toes. Reading this book will keep you so hooked that it could be fully hailing and you might not even notice the ice hitting your roof because you just have to know what happens next, making it a perfect read for when the weather sucks.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Homes

Murder Your Employer is set at The McMasters Conservatory, an ivy league style school dedicated to teaching you exactly how to murder a target and get away with it. Each student has a particular victim as their subject of focus and their thesis is how they’re going to kill their deserving marks. I’ve never read a book quite like this one, and that alone immediately captured my attention.

This book is so eccentric and unique, and with such a wild cast of characters. It’s not necessarily a fast-paced read like most other mysteries I personally prefer, but it’s so funny and zany that it’s worth the extra time spent in its pages.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

This is one of the most disturbing mysteries I’ve ever read, in the best way possible. I read this book years ago and still remember it in grave detail because the twist is just that twisty. By the end of this book my jaw was on the floor.

Pretty Girls follows two sisters, Claire and Lydia, who have not spoken since their third sister Julia disappeared over twenty years ago. That all changes when Claire’s wealthy husband dies, and the sisters come back together, albeit tentatively, to find out the truth surrounding the tragedies in their lives.

I initially listened to this book as an audiobook and I finished it on a road trip to Lake Tahoe with my dog, and neither of us will ever forget driving down I-80 when I actually screamed oh my god, out loud, at the climax of this book, scaring the crap out of my poor napping puppy. Read this book, if you dare. It’s gruesome but oh so incredible.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

If you love obscenely wealthy messy families that would drive a therapist to drink, this book will be for you. The Family Game is a fun mystery, perfect for fans of Fall of the House of Usher and Succession.

A novelist goes to spend the holidays with her new fiancé’s very wealthy, very eccentric family. Let’s just say some of their family Christmas traditions are a little unorthodox, and soon the lines are blurred between what’s a game, what’s a test, and who Harriet can trust. This mystery is a not too serious, fast paced read that’s perfect for a cold winter day.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

This book was one of my most unexpected reads of 2023. It did not go at all where I thought it was going, and I love it for that. Luckiest Girl Alive is such a creative and really unsettling story that’s so well done.

Ani has carefully crafted her life into something that those who used to know her wouldn’t recognize. A prestigious job and an upcoming wedding to a wealthy guy are all she needs to completely leave her past behind. Unfortunately for her, it’s never quite that easy and her past just won’t let her go.

It sounds like the beginning of half the books on this list, but the twists will take you somewhere you have never been before. It’s so timely and perfect for losing yourself in someone else’s problems for a while.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

A storm closes off access to a new high end hotel up in the Swiss Alps — that used to be a sanatorium. A detective on vacation ends up trapped there with her estranged brother and his fiancée, who goes missing, leaving the detective to try to find out what happened to her.

It is far from the luxurious vacation she was expecting, and it will leave readers feeling lucky that even though it might be storming outside, at least you are (hopefully) not trapped in a dangerous hotel with all kinds of unexpected twists lurking around every corner.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

A group of college friends, now in their thirties, get together in a winter cabin to continue their tradition of spending the New Year holiday together. One of them ends up dead, and everyone is a suspect. Like any friend group with history, they’ve all gone different directions in their lives, and the tensions are high.

The Hunting Party is a classic mystery framework and set-up, a locked room sort of whodunit, that applies modern problems to the classic template. The group dynamics in this book are super engaging and the wintery setting is perfect for a cozy storm read.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The less I say about this book, the better, because the less you know going in the more it will blow your mind. By the last page of this book my eyes were wide and my mind was blown. Not only will you not notice the weather reading this book, by the end you may not remember you are an adult human with responsibilities outside of finding out what happens with these characters.

The Silent Patient is a slow start, but once you get into it, you won’t be able to put it down. And that’s all I’ll say. Just read it.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Okay, so, this is not technically a mystery in a traditional sense. It’s really more of a historical fiction thriller but whatever. It’s so good I had to mention it around here somewhere. And it is very mysterious. The Huntress follows two separate timelines, one in the midst of World War II, and one in 1950s post-war America.

There are two investigators tracking down escaped Nazi’s, a young girl suspicious of her father’s new fiancée, and a female fighter pilot flying for the Soviet Union’s Night Witches. The characters in this story are incredible, and it’s both suspenseful and deeply touching. And it will leave you grateful that as bad as the weather might be outside wherever you live, it’s probably not as bad as Siberia in the 1940s.