When small-town cop Deputy Ben Packard finds himself at a low point—on leave and under investigation with no resources or support—he strikes out to finally uncover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance many years ago, and stumbles on a separate, suspicious death. A tenuous connection exists between the two cases, and as Packard starts to dig, he meets fierce resistance from friends and foes alike who want him to stand down. The winter is long and cold. By the end of it, Packard will risk everything to catch a killer and reveal the shocking truth.
Cold case plots are compelling because they stretch a mystery into the realm of folklore and ghosts. Over time, the truth can start to blur as stories morph. Moreover, people continue to be haunted by victims, typically the missing and murdered. The lack of closure in the cases will drive loved ones and investigators to the brink of madness. Their desperation to solve a cold case creates a tense, high-stakes environment.
The kinds of cold cases found in mystery novels also reflect societal anxieties. I haven’t done the statistics on this, but I’d bet good money that a majority of these books deal with missing/murdered women or children. I interpret interest in these cases as lingering guilt over being unable to keep vulnerable members of our society safe. Naturally, there is much to investigate about the demographics of victims in reality vs. fiction, but that’s not our job today.
Another thing that makes cold case stories interesting is their relationship to justice. What does justice look like when it is so delayed? What justice can there even be in cases where people are wracked with uncertainty for years or decades, while perpetrators continue to live without answering for their deeds? These questions contribute to the melancholy air you’ll often find in cold case mysteries.
Under it all, however, is the tantalizing promise of solving a very difficult puzzle. Finishing a Monday New York Times crossword puzzle (the easiest of the week) is good; finishing the Saturday (the most difficult) is great. Reading through the following stack of books will give you a similar rush.
The Little Sparrow Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
Originally published in 1959 and rereleased last year, this is the seventh novel featuring Detective Kindaichi. In this intricate installment, Detective Kindaichi is on a vacation to a hot springs in a remote village, where he learns about a 20-year-old unsolved murder. Naturally, he’s now on the case. With atmospheric writing, richly drawn characters, and ample philosophical musings, this is a standout book in a stellar vintage crime series.
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
For 10 years, a small Texas town has promised to find Trumanell Branson. Tru’s brother Wyatt is an outcast, legally cleared but widely considered the culprit. Then he finds a mysterious and mute girl in a field. Local cop Odette is determined to figure out what befell this girl, dubbed Angel, while also continuing to work on Tru’s case. This book is a little cryptic and Gothic, perfect for people who like shows like True Detective or Twin Peaks.
Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head
If you like a dual timeline story, you will love this moving story that weaves the Black Lives Matter era together with Jim Crow. Meghan McKenzie knows her great-grandfather was murdered long ago, but his body was never found. While working for the Detroit Free Press, she travels to Birmingham, Alabama, where the crime took place. Following her story along with her great-grandfather Robert Lee Harrington’s, the novel paints a powerful portrait of the way history ripples and what healing generational ills can look like.
Echo by Tracy Clark
This is the third in the gripping Detective Harriet Foster series, but it can be read as a standalone. The title indicates the theme of the book, namely the way new crimes can echo cold cases. Also, in the case of Harri, there are echoes between her personal and professional lives, as she grieves for her son and her work partner.
The cold case in this book is the unsolved hazing death of a student at Belverton College 30 years ago. When another student, the son of a billionaire, dies in a similar manner, Harri investigates. She’s finding out just how long people will hold grudges and what drives them to vigilante justice.
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
If you’ve never read a Janice Hallett novel, you’re in for a treat. This is a bit of a “found footage” mystery, with the text drawn from fictitious audio transcripts. Steven “Smithy” Smith, fresh out of prison, is investigating his English teacher’s disappearance on a field trip 40 years ago. He thinks her disappearance is tied to a secret code threaded into the novels of a disgraced children’s author. This book is complex and utterly delightful, an interactive book perfect for people who love puzzles and wordplay.
The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton
This is a book I snapped up in a beachside bookstore and drank down during my summer vacation last year. If you love stories about sordid Hollywood history, this is the book for you.
Salma is a former child star, now leading morbid tours of Hollywood. This means having to constantly revisit the unsolved murder of her rising starlet older sister. When a dead body turns up on the same property where Salma’s sister died, she knows their lives and deaths must be intertwined. This novel’s juicy, a little noir, and quite the ride.
Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarratano
This one’s for the Veronica Mars fans!
Billie Levine is a 24-year-old taking over her grandfather’s private eye business in order to raise funds to care for her ailing mother. Her first case is finding a rich kid’s missing girlfriend, but that case spirals out, dragging Billie into a decades-old case of a missing cabaret dancer who kept company with lots of dangerous people. The case may also be putting Billie in danger herself. Fans of scrappy, resourceful women PIs will eat this up.
The Obsidian Murders by Thomas King
This book, the fifth installment in the DreadfulWater mysteries, solves a case that lingers over the previous four books. Former cop Thumps DreadfulWater has been trying to forget a string of brutal and unsolved murders from long ago. He considers this cold case a personal failure. When a true crime TV producer trying to crack the case turns up dead, he is pulled back into it. This sounds bleak, but there is a lively cast of characters and witty banter that provides levity amid the tragedy.
So there’s your caseload! If you’re interested in some nonfiction cold cases, we have recommendations there as well. The cases may be cold, but these books are red hot.