To help bookstores and libraries share titles from independent publishers, we’ve put together this roundup of mysteries and thrillers published by indie presses.
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Warbler Classics | January 1, 2026
Distributor: Ingram
ISBN: 979-8-90267-009-4
This new edition of Christie’s 1930 mystery novel includes a detailed biographical note and is a “sharp, funny portrait of small-town life where gossip, jealousy, and murder share the same sitting room.”
After Pearl by Stephen G. Eoannou
Santa Fe Writers Project | May 2, 2025
Distributor: Independent Publishers Group
ISBN: 9781951631475
According to Bruce Robert Coffin, After Pearl is “a wonderfully rendered hard-boiled historical mystery reminiscent of Chandler’s Marlowe novels.”
Unwritten by Laura Camacho Frias
Catalyst Press/Flare Books | July 14, 2026
Distributor: Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
ISBN: 978-1-963511-43-7
In this novel, a thirteen-year-old “is confronted with new revelations about his mother’s past, propelling him to look for the lost side of his family that still lives in Spain, setting off a chain reaction of unintended consequences.”
A Shadow of Jaguars by DC Frost
Red Hen Press/Canis Major Books | August 25, 2026
Distributor: Publishers Group West
ISBN: 978-1-63628-506-1
This mystery novel “finds DJ and partner Bobby Talbot struggling to untangle a murder where Hollywood, wealthy powerbrokers, and an immigrant population struggle to coexist and survive.”
A Reckoning Up Black Cat Hollow by Matthew F. Jones
Regal House Publishing | January 27, 2026
Distributor: Independent Publishers Group
ISBN: 978-1-64603-696-7
This novel is a “pulse-pounding crime thriller that weaves together psychological suspense and a gripping mystery, where every step brings Jack closer to a truth he’s long buried.”
St. Ulphia’s Dead by Scott Lambridis
Regal House Publishing | July 7, 2026
Distributor: Independent Publishers Group
ISBN: 978-1-64603-750-6
In this mystery novel, “disgraced medical researcher Mirs and his skeptical new supervisor Jo arrive on the remote island of St. Ulphia to investigate an outbreak of mass psychosis.”
Catalyst Press/Flare Books | January 27, 2026
Distributor: Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
ISBN: 978-1-960803-37-5
“Murder spawns a hunt through a tangled web of drug gangs, political intrigue, and old apartheid mysteries that criss-crosses the southern tip of Africa” in this thriller novel.
A Necklace of Ears by Alberto Roblest
Translated from the Spanish by Dillon Scalzo
Arte Público Press | April 30, 2025
Distributor: Ingram
ISBN: 979-8-89375-009-6
This thriller novel “combines detailed descriptions with reflections on today’s society to graphically explore the reality of many hard-working migrants facing harsh conditions in the United States.”
Krackle’s Last Movie by Chelsea Sutton
Split/Lip Press | February 10, 2026
Distributor: Asterism Books
ISBN: 978-1-952-897-48-1
“When underground documentarian Minerva Krackle mysteriously disappears after an interview with the ‘Modern-Day Mummy of San Bernardino County,’ her assistant Harper is left with a mess of footage and a tight deadline” in this mystery novella.
Peace, Love and Haight: A Psychedelic Thriller by Max Talley
Three Rooms Press | October 14, 2025
Distributor: Publishers Group West
ISBN: 9781953103666
In this mystery novel, a gallery owner in the summer of 1969 “becomes an unlikely player in a deadly game—hunted by the mafia, courted by the cops, and risking everything if his hippie friends learn the truth.”
Spiegel & Grau | August 4, 2026
Distributor: Two Rivers Distribution
ISBN: 978-1-966302-23-0
“Steeped in Icelandic folklore and myth,” this novel is a “gripping story of a child’s disappearance, a testament to the power of a mother’s love, and an enthralling tale of redemption and forgiveness.”
