Oline H. Cogdill
All Stories

The best mystery novels of 2025
2025 was another outstanding year for mystery novels.

Our critic’s picks: Best mystery fiction books of 2024
Oline Cogdill's favorite mystery novels of 2024, a year marked by rich plots, diverse and fully realized characters and vivid settings.

Our critic’s picks: Best mystery fiction books of 2023
Compiling the annual favorite mysteries of the year is a labor of love, and a true labor that begins with the first novel of the year.

Review: Actor David McCallum authors ”Once a Crooked Man”
Actor David McCallum of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "NCIS" fame embarks on a second career in a highly entertaining debut that mixes the espionage novel with the mystery thriller....

Review: Actor David McCallum authors ”Once a Crooked Man”
Actor David McCallum of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "NCIS" fame embarks on a second career in a highly entertaining debut that mixes the espionage novel with the mystery thriller....

Review: Actor David McCallum authors ”Once a Crooked Man”
Actor David McCallum of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "NCIS" fame embarks on a second career in a highly entertaining debut that mixes the espionage novel with the mystery thriller....

Allende”s ”Ripper” a letdown
Chilean author Isabel Allende''s magical realism approach has earned her lyrical novels such as "The House of the Spirits" and "Of Love and Shadows" critical acclaim and solid spots on...

”The Highway” by C.J. Box puts the pedal to the metal
The Highway" is the summer''s most terrifying novel. With three-dimensional characters and a gripping plot, "The Highway" is even more frightening because of its back story. C.J. Box bases his...

”The One I Left Behind” explores the human heart
Jennifer McMahon''s novels share a common link — expert plotting complemented with a real feel for the complicated nature of relationships, feelings and what motivates a person''s actions. The Vermont-based...

”Live by Night” a masterful novel
For some criminals, crime is a business that supports families and feeds a desire to lead unconventional lives. And that has made for some intriguing, iconic films and novels such...
