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black mystery writers 2021

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35 Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors

From Cicely Tyson's 'Just as I Am' to Amanda Gorman's debut poetry collection.

35 Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors

Books helped us through the chaos of 2020, and in 2021 there are even more releases to offer us solace and comfort. However, despite our love for reading, many book lovers do not see ourselves represented in the books that we pick up. A  recent study by  The New York Times  revealed that just 11 percent of books published in 2018 were written by people of color and an even smaller percentage by Black authors. To fully grasp—and empathize with—the lived experiences of the Black community, our voices and stories must be amplified and celebrated not just on Black History Month, but every month.

Whether you gravitate towards thrillers (see: Zakiya Dalila Harris's  The Other Black Girl ), or prefer a historical fiction novel (you can't go wrong with Robert Jones, Jr.'s  The Prophets ), we rounded up the must-read 2021 book releases by Black authors. Go forth and support this mix of new and notable authors, ahead.

'Black Buck' by Mateo Askaripour

This quick-witted satirical debut follows a young man who transforms almost overnight from an unambitious Starbucks employee to a ruthless salesman after a chance encounter with the CEO of NYC’s hottest tech startup. When tragedy strikes, he resets with a new goal: helping young people of color infiltrate America’s sales force.

Available January 5, 2021

'The Prophets' by Robert Jones, Jr.

A devastating and beautifully written novel set at a Mississippi cotton plantation,  The Prophets  follows two enslaved Black boys, Isaiah and Samuel, as they fall in love and find refuge in each other amidst the horror of their reality. But when a fellow slave seeks to gain favor by preaching the master’s gospel, their relationship is exposed, which sets off a brutal chain of events. 

'Angel of Greenwood' by Randi Pink

Isaiah Wilson and Angel Hill attend the same school in the Greenwood area of Tulsa, Oklahoma—known as Black Wall Street—and hold different views on how to defeat racism. But when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood on May 31, 1921, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced, Isaiah, Angel, and their peers discover who their real enemies are.

Available January 12, 2021

'We Are All Birds of Uganda' by Hafsa Zayyan

This ambitious debut follows Sameer, a high-flying lawyer in present-day London who travels to Uganda to discover his origins, and Hasan, a successful family man in 1960s Uganda facing deportation due to his Asian background. Spanning across two continents and several generations, Hafsa Zayyan’s novel is a multi-layered, moving tale about identity, family, prejudice, and how history repeats itself.

Available January 21, 2021

'Just as I Am' by Cicely Tyson

The late Academy-, Tony-, and three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and trailblazer Cicely Tyson, known for her work in  The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman ,  A Woman Called Moses , and  Roots , reflects on her life and career spanning more than seven decades, transforming from the church girl who once rarely spoke a word to one of the most prolific actresses of the century. 

Available January 26, 2021

'A Glimmer of Death' by Valerie Wilson Wesley

Fans of cozy mysteries will love this novel about caterer and psychic Dessa Jones who takes a job at a real estate firm when her bakery company goes bust. Her new boss, Charlie, is an abusive jerk, so when he’s found brutally murdered, his many victims become the suspects. As Dessa follows the case, she realizes that she needs to do something fast before she’s either the next victim or the primary suspect.

'This Close to Okay' by Leesa Cross-Smith

Recently-divorced therapist Tallie Clark is heading home when she saves a man from jumping off of a bridge. Told through both Tallie and the man's perspective, this is a touching story about two strangers who meet under the worst of circumstances, but end up finding love and healing within each other.

Available February 2, 2021

'Four Hundred Souls' by Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain

Edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of  How to Be an Antiracist , and fellow historian Keisha N. Blain,  Four Hundred Souls  is a 400-year history lesson on African Americans from the arrival of 20 enslaved Ndongo people on the shores of the British colony in mainland America to present day. Ninety writers take on five years each to create this essential work of Black history.

'Muted' by Tami Charles

Seventeen-year-old Denver is ready to leave her small, white town and become a star with her two best friends, Shak and Dalisay. When they meet R&B star Sean "Mercury" Ellis, it seems like their dreams may come true. But Denver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, and she must get out or be broken. Written entirely in verse,  Muted  is a fearless exploration of the way Black and brown girls are exploited in the music industry. 

'The Gilded Ones' by Namina Forna

One of *the* most talked about books of the year is this West African-inspired feminist fantasy set in a patriarchal society, where a woman’s worth is tied to her purity. When Deka bleeds gold—the color of impurity—at the blood ceremony, she’s presented with two choices: stay and be subjected to torture at the hands of her former community, or leave and join an army of girls just like her to fight for the empire. The novel has already been  auctioned for a TV adaptation .

Available February 9, 2021

'Honey Girl' by Morgan Rogers

Grace Porter, an overachiever and recent PhD graduate, goes on a girls trip to Vegas to celebrate her degree, but gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she can't even remember. Staggering under her father’s expectations, she escapes to New York to spend the summer with her wife. Morgan Rogers’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to follow your heart and make space in places never meant for you.

Available February 23, 2021

'Black Boy Out of Time' by Hari Ziyad

One of 19 children in a blended family, Hari Ziyad was raised by a Hindu Hare Krsna mother and a Muslim father. Taking the reader on a journey of their formative years and later throughout their life, as they navigate towards finding their true self in New York City, they explore childhood, gender, race, and what it means to grow up Black and queer in America.

Available March 1, 2021

'What's Mine and Yours' by Naima Coster

From the author of  Halsey Street  comes an explosive family saga spanning three decades about two families in Piedmont, North Carolina, whose lives intersect during the aftermath of a high school integration initiative.

Available March 2, 2021

'The Conductors' by Nicole Glover

In a post-Civil War Philadelphia, Hetty Rhodes, a magic user and former conductor on the Underground Railroad, solves murders and mysteries with her husband, Benjy, that the white police ignore. When one of their friends is found murdered in an alley, they set out to find answers, but their search leads them to unexpected revelations that will change everything.

'Lightseekers' by Femi Kayode

Dr. Philip Taiwo is a respected Nigerian investigative psychologist who is called on by a powerful Nigerian politician to look into the public torture and murder of three university students in Port Harcourt. When he arrives there, he discovers that there’s far more to the story, and he must quickly navigate the tumultuous sociopolitical landscape to find out the truth before it’s too late.

'Act Your Age, Eve Brown' by Talia Hibbert

The final installment in  The Brown Sisters  trilogy centers on the flightiest Brown sister, Eve, who sets out to prove herself to her parents by getting a job at a B&B. However, the rigid, perfectionist owner, Jacob, is instantly put off by Eve. When she accidentally hits him with her car, he’s forced to accept her help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen, and his heart.

Available March 9, 2021

'Black Girl, Call Home' by Jasmine Mans

In a deft and breathtaking portrayal of identity, race, sexuality, family, and feminism, spoken-word poet Jasmine Mans explores the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman in America.

'Wild Women and the Blues' by Denny S. Bryce

In 1925 Chicago, the jazz capital of the world, Honoree is trying to dance her way to the top at Dreamland Café, where she socializes with celebrities. In 2015, grieving film student Sawyer Hayes seeks out the 110-year-old Honoree to get answers for his thesis on the legendary filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux. As the past meets the present, it’s a final chance for Honoree to truly be heard and seen before it’s too late.

Available March 30, 2021

'Libertie' by Kaitlyn Greenidge

In Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson, the daughter of a Black female physician, is urged by her mother to become a doctor, but Libertie would rather pursue music. So, when a suitor from Haiti proposes to Libertie promising true equality on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is far from living the life of freedom she craves.

'The Final Revival of Opal & Nev' by Dawnie Walton

Opal is an Afro-Punk performer in the '70s who teams up with aspiring British singer/songwriter Nev for a rock music collaboration. However, when a rival group uses a Confederate flag for their promotion and Opal fights back, their collaboration ends before it has even begun. Decades later, a music journalist sets out to document the rock-and-roll duo's rise and fall. But as she digs deeper, disturbing allegations come to light that threaten to destroy everything.

'Caul Baby' by Morgan Jerkins

Morgan Jerkins makes her fiction debut with this otherworldly tale about a woman, Laila, desperate to become a mother, who turns to the Melancons, an old and powerful Harlem family known for their caul—a precious layer of skin that is the secret source of their healing power. Although the deal falls through, another baby, Hallow, is born with caul to Laila’s niece, Amara. Years later, when Amara and Hallow cross paths, Hallow will be forced to decide where she truly belongs.

Available April 6, 2021

'Love in Color' by Bolu Babalola

Following its earlier U.K release last summer, Bolu Babalola's debut collection,  Love in Color , is finally getting published in the U.S. In the anthology, Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from around the world focusing on the myths, folklore, and history of West Africa, Greece, and the Middle East.

Available April 13, 2021

'Open Water' by Caleb Azumah Nelson

He’s a photographer and she’s a dancer who connect over their shared experiences and fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence. Beautifully crafted with stunning prose,  Open Water  explores Blackness and trauma in a world that defines you by the color of your skin and the love that struggles amidst the pain.

'Sorrowland' by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowland  follows Vern, a young girl who flees the cult-like commune where she was raised to provide a better life for herself and her children. But even in the forest where she has gone, she is a hunted woman. To protect her family, Vern transforms into something terrifying and powerful that may just help her break free from her past.  Sorrowland  is a powerful story about motherhood, survival, and the cruel treatment of Black bodies.

Available May 4, 2021

'Meet Cute Diary' by Emery Lee

Noah Ramirez runs the "Meet Cute Diary," a blog that documents trans people's happily-ever-afters. But when a troll exposes the blog as fiction, the only way to save it is to convince everyone the stories are true. Enter: Drew. Drew is willing to fake-date Noah, but as Noah's feelings grow stronger, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page. This heartfelt rom-com aims to make trans teens feel seen and worthy of love.

'While Justice Sleeps' by Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, is also the author of eight romance novels under the pseudonym, Selena Montgomery.  While Justice Sleeps  is Abrams's first novel under her own name. The story follows Avery Keene, who's a law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn. When she unexpectedly becomes Justice Wynn’s legal guardian, Avery finds herself in a dangerous and controversial new role.

Available May 11, 2021

'The Other Black Girl' by Zakiya Dalila Harris

With an  adaptation already in the works at Hulu , Zakiya Dalila Harris's debut novel is one of the most highly-anticipated books of the year. When Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant at the predominantly white publishing firm, Wagner Books, meets Hazel, she is initially thrilled to no longer be the only Black girl at work. Then, the threatening notes start appearing, and Nella can’t help but wonder if Hazel is behind them.

Available June 1, 2021

'Dead Dead Girls' by Nekesa Afia

Nekesa Afia’s debut mystery novel follows Louise Lloyd, a young Black woman working at a cafe and a speakeasy in 1920s Harlem. After an altercation with a local police officer, she is forced to assist in the investigation of a serial killer targeting Black girls in her neighborhood.  According to the author , this book is for you if you want "a jazz age murder mystery starring a tiny, tired lesbian."

'Ace of Spades' by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades  is a compelling, incendiary debut thriller about Devon and Chiamaka, the only Black students in Niveus Private Academy, whose lives are turned upside down when an anonymous texter, known as Aces, brings their dark secrets to light. With heart-pounding suspense, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s novel delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism.

'Instructions for Dancing' by Nicola Yoon

The bestselling author of  Everything, Everything  and  The Sun Is Also a Star  returns with a beautiful and compelling story about Evie, a teenager whose recently-divorced parents have left her disillusioned about love. When she gains a newfound ability to see visions of others’ relationships, she feels even less confident about the power of love. However, a meeting with a mysterious boy, X, at a dance studio forces her to question her views on life and love.

'Seven Days in June' by Tia Williams

This beautiful love story follows an erotica writer, Eva, who’s juggling her career and single motherhood when she reconnects with the love of her life, Shane, who's now a famous literary author. However, Eva's not sure she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she wants him out of her life—after she gets some answers, of course.

'Dear Senthuran' by Akwaeke Emezi

The critically-acclaimed author of  The Death of Vivek Oji  returns with a stunning memoir about navigating success, gender, and identity through candid letters with friends, lovers, and family. 

Available June 8, 2021

'Island Queen' by Vanessa Riley

Set on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, this novel is a fictionalized tale about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, born enslaved but bought her freedom, who becomes one of the wealthiest, most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies. 

Available July 6, 2021

'No Gods, No Monsters' by Cadwell Turnbull

One October morning, Laina gets the news that her brother was shot and killed by Boston cops. But what looks like a case of police brutality turns out to be something stranger; monsters are real, and they're done hiding. Now, she must figure out why this is happening and, more importantly, why now. 

Available September 7, 2021

'The Hill We Climb and Other Poems' by Amanda Gorman

The debut poetry collection from National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman features "The Hill We Climb"—the breathtaking poem the 22-year-old read at President Biden's inauguration—and more eagerly-awaited works. 

Available September 21, 2021

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Penguin Random House

Mysteries & Thrillers by Black Authors

by Erika Hardison

Diverse voices in genres like mystery and suspense are needed now more than ever. Mysteries and thrillers by Black authors offer readers the opportunity to expand their imagination by reading from authors from perspectives not often found in mainstream mysteries. Whether you enjoy classic noir crime stories or cozy whodunits, you’ll find something in this list of thrilling reads!

Charcoal Joe Book Cover Picture

Charcoal Joe

By walter mosley, paperback $18.00, buy from other retailers:.

Jackal Book Cover Picture

by Erin E. Adams

My Sister, the Serial Killer Book Cover Picture

My Sister, the Serial Killer

By oyinkan braithwaite, paperback $17.00.

The Violin Conspiracy Book Cover Picture

The Violin Conspiracy

By brendan slocumb.

Last Seen in Lapaz Book Cover Picture

Last Seen in Lapaz

By kwei quartey, paperback $17.95.

A Deadly Inside Scoop Book Cover Picture

A Deadly Inside Scoop

By abby collette, paperback $16.00.

Dead Dead Girls Book Cover Picture

Dead Dead Girls

By nekesa afia.

Rhode Island Red Book Cover Picture

Rhode Island Red

By charlotte carter, paperback $15.00.

Harlem Shuffle Book Cover Picture

Harlem Shuffle

By colson whitehead.

Rules of Engagement Book Cover Picture

Rules of Engagement

By stacey abrams and selena montgomery.

Invisible Son Book Cover Picture

Invisible Son

By kim johnson, hardcover $18.99.

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15 Gripping Mystery Novels Written by Black Women — Don't Read Them in the Dark!

Published on 2/25/2021 at 4:45 PM

black mystery writers 2021

I love a good murder-mystery novel as much as the next reader, but as an avid fan of the genre, it's a rarity to see myself in any of the main characters. While, in the bigger picture, it's a good thing not to relate to the creepy characters we read about, it would be nice to read from the point of view of someone like myself. With struggles similar to mine, hair like mine, a job like mine — but in the entertaining and suspenseful realm of a thriller novel . Here are 15 killer recommends for mystery novels written by Black women . While you'll surely want to read one immediately after the other, you'll need to wait until later in the year for a few of these to be released!

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

If you're a fan of murder mysteries, Korde's sister, Ayoola, takes family drama to a whole new level in My Sister, The Serial Killer . The story follows the two sisters living with their family in Nigeria. Ayoola is the one who dates men and discards them when she's done with the relationship, and Korde is the one who always cleans up the mess, because, well . . . it's her little sister. But when Ayoola begins to date a man her sister is in love with, it may be the last straw.

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Speaking of Summer follows Autumn Spencer and her journey to find her missing sister, Summer, who disappeared in Harlem. Without any clues, any suspects, or any police assistance, Autumn starts to dig into her sister's disappearance herself, uncovering a string of missing and murdered women with similar stories — all while simultaneously dealing with her mother's recent death. Will she get the answers she needs before it takes a toll?

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

Science fiction, horror, and mystery are all the genres you'll get with Lakewood . After Lena's grandmother passes away, she quits her job and moves home to Lakewood, MI, to help support her family. She scores a new, high-paying job in town, but there's a big catch: secret medical experiments. What she discovers is thrilling and terrifying.

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

A Deadly Inside Scoop is a quirky, fun thriller about Bronwyn "Win," a girl who has just taken over her family's ice cream shop. On her opening day, she finds a body in the snow and discovers that the victim is somehow connected to her family and the shop. Win and her best friend, Maisie, try to get to the bottom of this mystery, for the sake of her family name. These characters are fun and lovable, and you'll root for them right from the beginning. Author Abby Collette reminds us that not all mystery novels have to be dark and dull.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The Other Black Girl , out June 1, is a psychological thriller for the modern-day working girl. Described as "perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace," it follows Nella, an editorial assistant tired of being the only Black girl in the office. When Hazel arrives, Nella is ecstatic. But after a promotion, she begins to receive threatening letters telling her to "leave" and "get out." This novel is filled with suspenseful twists and turns as Nella is determined to find who is sending her threats.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House is a bestselling novel about a boarding school that creates greats. Presidents and Supreme Court justices come from Catherine House, but everyone who attends has gone through the same odd ritual. A mandatory three years at the school with no contact with the outside world is agreed upon acceptance. In return, the lasting graduates are promised success. When Ines's roommate is suddenly killed, she begins to wonder what she's gotten herself into by attending Catherine and the dark secrets that lie within the school walls to allow such prestige.

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Ah, secrets . . . they never stay secrets for long, do they? In Saving Ruby King , Layla does everything she can to protect her best friend, Ruby, from her violent father — even though Layla is prohibited from seeing Ruby by her preacher father. Layla doesn't give up and learns a lot of dark secrets about her family along the way; things that have been hidden for generations. This is a thrilling story about faith, family secrets, and the police's dismissal of a murder in a Black Chicago neighborhood.

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

When You Look Like Us is told from the perspective of Jay Murphy, a young man who, at first, is among those who don't think much when his sister doesn't come home. When you're Black and living in the projects, the police often think you deserve what you get . . . even if you go missing. Jay is on a mission to find his sister because the amount of time that's passed now is not normal and he knows something is wrong. Reviewers rave about this page-turner mystery being a very timely must read for 2021.

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

The big mystery in And Now She's Gone is whether the missing want to be found. That's the question Grayson Sykes asks herself when Isabel Lincoln disappears. Is she just a runaway, or is there foul play involved? Would someone really just abandon their entire life? As secrets become uncovered, Grayson learns that running may have been the only answer. This novel is a witty page-turner that will keep you on your toes the entire time.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The anonymous texts, the secrecy, the private school . . . this novel reminds me a lot of Gossip Girl , but darker. Ace of Spades follows Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, two students in the running for valedictorian at Niveus Private Academy. But when texts by someone named Aces are sent throughout the school with detrimental secrets about both of them, their bright futures slowly dim . . . and they're scared. As the "game" escalates to dangerous territory, the two students try to stop Aces before anyone gets killed. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut novel will be out on June 1.

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

Dead Dead Girls takes place in 1926 Harlem. During this time, Louise Lloyd is trying to live normally despite the fact that young Black girls like her are being murdered around the city. After an altercation with the police, Louise gets the choice to help solve the case and catch a killer — or go to jail. She chooses to help, and her intense journey begins. You'll have to wait for this one — it's out June 1!

My Mother's House by Francesca Momplaisir

My Mother's House by Francesca Momplaisir

Lucien and Marie-Ange are the main characters in this mysterious, ominous, and creepy novel. My Mother's House follows the couple after they immigrate from Haiti to New York and build a safe haven for fellow immigrants to find food, shelter, and any other help they may need. One day, they get a guest who brings a haunting presence into their home. This novel gets very dark in the evils it presents and is thrilling, to say the least.

Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall

Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall

The thrilling story of Land of Shadows takes us through the mysterious death of a teenager in Los Angeles and the detectives, Elouise and Colin, who are on the case. When Elouise notices similarities to her own sister's unsolved murder, she senses there is more than meets the eye.

Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon

Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon

Murder in G Major is quickly becoming a classic in the mystery genre. This award-winning novel is the first book in a five-part series that follows Gethsemane, a woman housesitting in Ireland and working as a music teacher. Of course, there's a catch when you're asked to housesit a gorgeous house in exchange for a job . . .

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

What if you wrote the story of your own death? That's exactly what Sophie Katz believes is happening as murders, similar to the ones in her scribe, begin happening around the city. Sex, Murder and a Double Latte takes you through the sudden romance, mysterious murders, and potential suspects that Sophie comes across.

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black mystery writers 2021

The Best Noir Fiction of 2021

Celebrating new noirs from walter mosley, laura mchugh, david peace, and more..

The CrimeReads editors select the best noir fiction of 2021. 

black mystery writers 2021

Walter Mosley, Blood Grove (Mulholland)

Mosley’s latest, Blood Grove , may just be one of the best novels in an already iconic detective series. A new client, a Vietnam vet with a mysterious story about a possible murder in an orange grove, sets Easy Rawlins down a dark path of SoCal washouts and suffering veterans. Meanwhile Easy’s own family life is undergoing new tensions, when his adopted daughter’s birth father shows up on the scene. Mosley manages to unfurl a genuinely captivating plot that travels a dark odyssey through the subcultures of 1969 LA, while also adding poignant new depth to the stories of long-running characters. Blood Grove is as satisfying as noir gets. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Editor-in-Chief

black mystery writers 2021

Laura McHugh, What’s Done in Darkness (Random House)

What’s Done in Darkness is a stunning rural noir about disappearing girls who never officially existed. 17-year-old Sarabeth hates her rural Arkansas home and strict religious household. When she’s abducted, held for a week, then released by an unknown assailant and found wandering on the side of the road, she takes the opportunity to finally escape her family’s endless rules. But when another girl goes missing, Sarabeth must journey into the darkest parts of her past to go find her. Rural noir has long been a male-coded subgenre, and I’m hoping that  What’s Done in Darkness  signals a shift towards more inclusive storytelling. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Senior Editor

black mystery writers 2021

Melissa Ginsburg, The House Uptown (Flatiron)

In The House Uptown , Ava, a fourteen year old girl recovering from the shock of her mother’s death travels to New Orleans to live with her grandmother, Lane, a local artist who channels a good portion of the city’s more eccentric history. The intergenerational relationship is tense from the start, and soon the close quarters begin buckling under the weight of history, an evolution Ginsburg handles with real subtlety, bringing out gothic tones and hints of Southern noir that heighten and complicate the family dynamics. The House Uptown is a powerful coming-of-age novel and a thoughtful portrait of one of the world’s great cities. –DM

black mystery writers 2021

Gregory Galloway, Just Thieves (Melville House)

Gregory Galloway’s stunning debut is as noir as they come. In this bleak tale, two former addicts, now working as professional housebreakers, are ordered to take an object from a home that appears to be worth far more than their usual acquisitions, judging by the interest in recovering it alone.  Just Thieves has a classic set-up of “starts bad, gets worse”. Plus, this one has the most inspired use of a macguffin since The Maltese Falcon.   -MO

black mystery writers 2021

Wallace Stroby,  Heaven’s a Lie (Mulholland)

Stroby’s latest is a heart-pounding story of desperation and survival. A woman on the Jersey Shore with bills to pay and plenty of life trouble witnesses a car accident, and from the wreckage she pulls out a briefcase filled with $300,000. The decision to take the money—she has her mother’s medical bills to worry about—proves fateful, as it pits her against a local drug dealer with a maniacal determination to get back what was his. Stroby sets the scene perfectly, and as the momentum ratchets up you’ll find you just can’t stop reading until the bitter end.  –DM

black mystery writers 2021

William Boyle, Shoot the Moonlight Out (Pegasus)

Boyle’s latest novel is a kaleidoscopic vision of life in South Brooklyn, shifting between timelines and perspectives to bring together a swirling, fate-laced story of modern New York. Boyle’s work is keeping a very particular strand of the noir legacy alive, and with each new book he adds another piece to New York City’s rich literary history. Shoot the Moonlight Out is one of his best stories to date, an ambitious take on crime and tragedy in South Brooklyn. –DM

black mystery writers 2021

Chris Offutt, Killing Hills (Grove)

Offutt is overdue for a new breakout novel, and The Killing Hills may just be it, part southern gothic, part searching, seething portrait of loss and betrayal, and part an entertaining offshoot of the world of Justified . It’s set in the Kentucky hills, and when a military CID is enlisted by his sister, the town’s new sheriff, to help out with a shadowy homicide investigation, all hell breaks loose. A story full of feuds, rivalries, and crimes hiding in plain sight, The Killing Hills is as poignant and powerful as they come. –DM

black mystery writers 2021

S.A. Cosby, Razorblade Tears (Flatiron)

S.A. Cosby blew us away with last year’s searing heist thriller/rural noir Blacktop Wasteland, and with Razorblade Tears he’s done it again. In a heartbreaking tale of love, murder, vengeance, and acceptance, two ex-cons, one Black and one white, team up to find those responsible for the death of their sons, who were married to each other. Both fathers are grieving not only for their lost loved ones, but for their inability to overcome their own homophobia while their sons were still alive. And as they seek revenge, they also find a new path towards tolerance. Shattering and beautiful, this is a must-read for genre and literary fiction fans alike. –MO

black mystery writers 2021

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Velvet Was the Night (Del Rey) 

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia dazzled me with her fungal-punk horror novel Mexican Gothic, and I couldn’t wait to dive into her 1970s-set political noir. Velvet Was The Night is a new twist on the classic set-up of Ordinary Person Caught Up in Extraordinary Circumstances. Maite is a secretary whose only passion in life is reading romance magazines—at least, until her beautiful neighbor Leonora dumps her cat on Maite, then disappears entirely. On the hunt for Leonora to return the cat, Maite finds herself pulled into the student movement and leftist politics, as bloody right wing enforcers also search for the missing student, and grow increasingly interested in Maite herself. Brutal, stylish, and infused with the passions of the times, Velvet Was the Night is a perfect political thriller. –MO

black mystery writers 2021

David Peace, Tokyo Redux (Knopf)

David Peace first stole my shrunken noir heart with his epic Red Riding Quartet, described by Adrian McKinty as full of “his defiant northerness”. Peace, a longtime resident of Tokyo, has also been working for over a decade on a series of novels capturing Japan in flux just after the end of WWII. Now, with the intense addition of Tokyo Redux,  this second cycle is also complete, and what a satisfying experience it is to read all of them together. –MO

___________________________________

NOTABLE SELECTIONS

Thomas Perry, The Left-Handed Twin (Mysterious Press)  · Tod Goldberg, The Low Desert (Counterpoint)  · John Galligan, Bad Moon Rising (Atria)  · Heather Levy, Walking Through Needles (Polis)  · Ace Atkins, The Heathens (Putnam)  · Leonardo Padura (transl Anna Kushner), The Transparency of Time (FSG)  · Cynthia Pelayo, Children of Chicago (Agora)  · Sara Davis, The Scapegoat (FSG)  · Kwei Quartey, Sleep Well, My Lady (Soho)  · Chris Power, A Lonely Man (FSG)  · David Gordon,  Against the Law (Mysterious Press)  · Stephen King,  Later (Hard Case Crime)  · Nekesa Afia, Dead Dead Girls (Berkley)  · Josh Stallings, Tricky (Agora)  · Maria Hummel, Lessons in Red (Counterpoint)  · Caroline Kepnes, You Love Me (Random House)  · Sifiso Mzobe, Young Blood (Catalyst Press)  · Robert Reuland, Brooklyn Supreme (Overlook) · Kat Rosenfeld, No One Will Miss Her (William Morrow) · John Banville, April in Spain (Hanover Square Press)  · Stephen Mack Jones, Dead of Winter (Soho)  · 

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50 Books by Black Authors to Read in 2021

Author image: sarah stiefvater

PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and the company may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here .

From James Baldwin to Jesmyn Ward. From a powerful account of precolonial African life to side-splitting essays about Magic Mike . From timeless classics to brand-new releases…here are 50 of the best books by Black authors to read right now.

The 19 Best Mystery Books to Keep You Guessing Until the Last Page

1. the Other Black Girl By Zakiya Dalila Harris

In this thrilling debut, Nella is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. That is, until Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers and the two bond immediately. Things change, though, when Hazel becomes an office darling, and Nella is left in the dust. Then notes start to appear on Nella's desk—"LEAVE WAGNER. NOW”—and she soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career.

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84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors – New Releases for 2021

black mystery writers 2021

Last year, as part of r/fantasy ‘s post series in support of Black Lives Matter, I posted 2020 SFF New Releases by Black Authors . I thought Black History Month would be a good time to refresh that post with a list of 84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors – New Releases for 2021. Edit: There were 81, now 84 books, added 3 to the end

Some personal recs before I throw tables at you:

I’ve already read The Conductors which is a historical murder mystery, set in Philadelphia a few years after the Civil War, following a married couple. I thought it was a lot of fun, read it real quick and I’m so excited to know the sequel The Undertakers is coming out this year too.

Currently reading Root Magic which is set about 100 years after The Conductors, and this coincidence really makes me want to search out books set in the 2060s or 1760s to stick to my pattern. It’s an MG story that leans a bit creepy and heartbreaking. The main characters are twins that are growing up and growing apart, and they’ve just lost their grandma, but they get to learn magic, so that’s cool. Loving the narration.

I’ve started but I’m only 5% in on The Unbroken , but so far it’s promising, really exploring colonialism in a North-African-inspired setting (as opposed to the others I’ve read that have been set in the US or Caribbean).

I’ve read book 1 and am eager to continue:

  • Soulstar (secondary-world historical fantasy with a sort of Edwardian setting and good amounts of romance, the third book will follow a character I’m super excited about)
  • Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis (sci-fi with a matriarchal society on a living spaceship)
  • Master of Djinn (Djinn and mysteries in steampunk Cairo, words cannot express how excited I am for this one)
  • A Chorus Rises (Teen siren finds her voice, contemporary story on the backdrop on Black Lives Matter protests)
  • Requiem of Silence (secondary world romance series, each book follows a different couple, really enjoyed the first one and very curious where the main story will go from there)
  • Redemptor (secondary world YA epic fantasy with great West-African inspired worldbuilding and lots of found family goodness)

If you know of other books, please let me know and I’ll add them.

The info in the tables is from Goodreads, so genre and audience info is more of a guideline, some books only had very little on GR yet, as release dates are pretty far away. If you notice anything inaccurate let me know and I will fix it. Title links go to Goodreads and image links between tables are of the covers.

84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors - New Releases for 2021

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84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors - New Releases for 2021

If you enjoyed this post of 84 Speculative Fiction Books by Black Authors – New Releases for 2021 check out these r/fantasy threads highlighting SFF books by Black authors check out these links:

Great thread on underrated SFF Black authors

Black Self Published Fantasy (and Sci-Fi) Grand List

Where to Start with SFF? Black authors in SFF

SFF graphic novels/comics by Black creators

And over here:

  • Science Fiction or Fantasy books by Black Authors – some recs
  • Black Lives Matter book bingo – my finished card

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Wow, amazing list! I have a lot of these on my TBR already.

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Welp I’m just gonna have this bookmarked. This is a fantastic list, Dia <3 Also, what is The Sky Pirate Chronicles and how has a series about airships and pirates fallen through my radar??

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Thanks! I had a lot already … but that didn’t stop me from adding more, the TBR must grow, always grow

Thanks <3 I think The Sky Pirate Chronicles is self-pub, I was going to read it last year for Bingo but it got reshuffled when I had my can’t-read-on-kindle slump, so got it planned to read this year, looks like a lot of fun!

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Wow, this is an amazing list! So many books that I’m dying to read and so many more I hadn’t heard of before! Definitely bookmarking this for future reference!! This must have been a lot of work, so thank you for compiling this list 🧡

Thank you, it was easier to find books this year than last year, I dunno if that’s just me having more practice or the info being more easily available.

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black mystery writers 2021

25 Recommended Thriller Books By Black Authors

Today I’m sharing new thriller recommendations!

There are so many amazing books by Black authors in horror. This time, I thought I’d compile a list of thriller books by Black authors that are absolute page-turners with plenty of twists and turns. They have everything from lone star detectives to fast-paced action to suspenseful storylines that’ll keep you guessing.

Check out the list below and I hope you’ll find something you enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

black mystery writers 2021

A Killing Fire by Faye Snowden All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzel Hall As The Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones Bad Men and Wicked Women by Eric Jerome Dickey Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

black mystery writers 2021

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia Devil In A Blue Dress by Walter Mosley Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West Sleep Well My Lady by Kwei Quartey Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Bukhanon The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson

black mystery writers 2021

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delila Harris The Shadow by Melanie Raabe The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

See any of your favourites? Let me know if you have any recs!

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Cynthia Greenberg

Thank you for this awesome list of mysteries and thrillers by Black authors. I looks forward to adding them to my library.

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Read By Dusk

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll enjoy them 🙂

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Celeena R Jefferson

One of my goals this year was to not only pick back up on my reading, but to support black authors. This is just what I’m looking for! Thank you!

P.S. You must add Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith to your list…just finished it, and it was great! 😊

Thank you, glad I could help. I have heard good things about Forty Acres, will definitely give it a try 🙂

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Your blog is a commendable celebration of diversity and talent in the thriller genre, spotlighting recommended books by Black authors. Your curated list not only enriches the reading experience but also contributes to a more inclusive literary landscape. Well done!

Thank you so much for your kind words! That’s my goal – to encourage a more inclusive reading experience for everyone.

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black mystery writers 2021

The Best Reviewed Mystery and Crime Books of 2021

Featuring john le carré, colson whitehead, s.a. cosby, viet thanh nguyen, stephen king, and more.

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Well, friends, another grim and grueling plague year is drawing to a close, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to put on our Book Marks stats hats and tabulate the best reviewed books of the past twelve months.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2021, in the categories of (deep breath): Memoir and Biography ; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror ; Short Story Collections ; Essay Collections ; Poetry ; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature; Literature in Translation; General Fiction; and General Nonfiction.

Today’s installment: Mystery and Crime .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

Harlem Shuffle

1. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)

30 Rave • 10 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan Read an interview with Colson Whitehead here

“Whitehead’s own mind has famously gone thataway through nine other books that don’t much resemble one another, but this time he’s hit upon a setup that will stick. He has said he may keep Ray going into another book, and it won’t take you long to figure out why … brings Whitehead’s unwavering eloquence to a mix of city history, niche hangouts, racial stratification, high hopes and low individuals. All of these are somehow worked into a rich, wild book that could pass for genre fiction. It’s much more, but the entertainment value alone should ensure it the same kind of popular success that greeted his last two novels. It reads like a book whose author thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing … The author creates a steady, suspenseful churn of events that almost forces his characters to do what they do. The final choice is theirs, of course … Quaint details aside, this is no period piece … Though it’s a slightly slow starter, Harlem Shuffle has dialogue that crackles, a final third that nearly explodes, hangouts that invite even if they’re Chock Full o’ Nuts and characters you won’t forget even if they don’t stick around for more than a few pages.”

–Janet Maslin ( The New York Times )

The Committed_Viet Thanh Nguyen

2. The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove)

19 Rave • 12 Positive • 4 Mixed • 1 Pan Listen to an interview with Viet Thang Nguyen here

“The novel is […] a homecoming of a particularly volatile sort, a tale of chickens returning to roost, and of a narrator not yet done with the world … Nguyen […] is driven to raptures of expression by the obliviousness of the self-satisfied; he relentlessly punctures the self-image of French and American colonizers, of white people generally, of true believers and fanatics of every stripe. This mission drives the rhetorical intensity that makes his novels so electric. It has nothing to do with plot or theme or character … That voice has made Nguyen a standard-bearer in what seems to be a transformational moment in the history of American literature, a perspectival shift … It’s a voice that shakes the walls of the old literary comfort zone wherein the narratives of nonwhite ‘immigrants’ were tasked with proving their shared humanity to a white audience … May that voice keep running like a purifying venom through the mainstream of our self-regard—through the American dream of distancing ourselves from what we continue to show ourselves to be.”

–Jonathan Dee ( The New Yorker )

3. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Atria)

20 Rave • 5 Positive • 3 Mixed Read an excerpt from The Other Black Girl here

“ The Other Black Girl isn’t a story about finding solidarity or even about speaking up; it probes something more unsettling. As the novel presents competing ideas of success at the office, and the sacrifices that might entail, it evolves into an intense psychological thriller … Although Harris’s book takes up the office novel’s critique of opaque and soul-crushing hierarchies, it also flirts with race transformation, a theme explored in decades of African American literature … Harris formulates a central dilemma: For many Black people, the office setting becomes a microcosm of the version of the United States that sees them as vessels of struggle and tension. To push back against that system feels essential. And yet the Black experience in America has never been solely defined by struggle … Diana or Kendra, Hazel or Nella, career or identity: This is the binary that pulses through The Other Black Girl . The novel shows a workplace pushing individuals into ever-hardening, limiting roles. It captures, through Nella especially, the stories some Black employees feel they must tell themselves about themselves to survive all-white environments … If The Other Black Girl often swerves beyond the conventions of the genre, into territory between psychological thriller and sci-fi, it may be because the specific experience of the Black employee—haunted by precarity and tension—can be almost otherworldly.”

–Lovia Gyarkye ( The New Republic )

4. Billy Summers by Stephen King (Scribner)

14 Rave • 9 Positive • 1 Mixed

“[King] actually is as good at the hard-boiled prose—in this case, the tale of an extremely effective assassin trying to get out after one last job—as he is the scary stuff … King’s known for his literary villains, yet in creating his killer title protagonist, he exquisitely gets into the mind of a hitman and roots around in there to figure out what kind of person would do wetwork, the loneliness involved for those who choose that as a career path and the effect it would have on friends and loved ones … Those worried he’s gone full Raymond Chandler, never fear: King makes it clear that Billy Summers very much exists in his creepily familiar world. It’s also very much a part of ours as well, with a few Donald Trump references and a foreshadowing of the COVID-19 crisis as Billy hunkers down and has to watch life go by outside, less because of a pandemic and more because of his morally questionable chosen profession … The biggest crime here, however, would be missing out on Billy Summers and King’s new reign as a pulp genius.”

–Brian Truitt ( USA Today )

5. Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (Flatiron)

17 Rave • 3 Positive Read an interview with S. A. Cosby here

“Cosby, a Black man born and raised in a family of limited means in southeastern Virginia, knows exactly how to bring authenticity to the page … This is crime fiction packed with everything fans have come to expect of the genre, but the way Cosby writes about emotion is more aligned with literary fiction. Razorblade Tears expands into social commentary that’s not preachy … grief, guilt, and revenge are the driving energies that propel the narrative and its characters forward at all times. In fact, guilt is so present it eventually becomes a character in the novel, a silent, omnipresent force that fuels Ike and Buddy Lee as they unflinchingly take on a growing number of threatening individuals who want to keep them from figuring out who shot their sons … Cosby has a deep understanding of homophobia and deals with it brilliantly here … Buddy Lee is an interesting, nuanced character that shows that white privilege isn’t the same for all whites … a fast-paced thriller with plenty of violence. It is also a narrative that cements Cosby as one of the most honest and steadfast chroniclers of the Black experience in the rural South.”

–Gabino Iglesias ( The Los Angeles Review of Books )

6. Silverview by John le Carré (Viking)

10 Rave • 15 Positive • 4 Mixed • 3 Pan Read about John le Carré’s advice to a struggling novelist, here

“… the plot unfolds with as much cryptic cunning as a reader could want, and le Carré’s people are perfection, most especially the Service’s grand poohbahs, all in a discreet tizzy when they find they’ve been snookered by some renegade, conscience-stricken apostate. The fabric of duplicity and betrayal, though gratifyingly present here, is not so devastatingly intricate and shocking as in, say, A Most Wanted Man —whose ending is never far from the reader’s mind. Silverview is a minor work in the le Carré canon, but it is enjoyable throughout, written with grace, and a welcome gift from the past.”

–Katherine A. Powers ( The Wall Street Journal )

7. Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)

14 Rave • 4 Positive

Read Silvia Moreno-Garcia on the best noir novels of the 1960s and 1970s, here

“ Velvet Was the Night has little in common with the delirious Mexican Gothic . Its prose is lean, its characters are nobodies, its setting is urban, and there isn’t the slightest speck of the supernatural. But Moreno-Garcia, a bona fide literary chameleon, slips effortlessly out of the satin pumps of the gothic and into the beat-up wingtips of noir. The scary thing about this novel is how good it is … the way that war—not a world war, but the Dirty War between the government and its restive citizens—keeps erupting into their lives, forcing them to confront the reality of history and politics, keeps the novel fresh; in contrast with classic noir, this war refuses to remain hidden. The delectable cocktail that is Velvet Was the Night contains a generous dash of bitters, but the finish is satisfyingly mellow. It goes down so smoothly that it left me marveling at what kind of sorceress Moreno-Garcia must be as she reworks genre after genre, weaving in Mexican history and culture, satisfying familiar cravings without resorting to mere pastiche.”

–Laura Miller ( Slate )

8. Dream Girl by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)

15 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Pan Read Laura Lippman on James M. Cain’s transgressive noir, here

“There’s the brilliance, the devastating humor, the complicated sexual history with women, and the fraught relationship with his mother … But, a more explicit literary presence here is that of Stephen King, as Dream Girl swiftly morphs into Nightmare … With each stand-alone novel she writes, Lippman triumphantly turns in a different direction … Socially conscious (the #MeToo movement makes a decisive entrance into the plot) and packed with humor, ghosts and narrative turns of the screw, Lippman’s Dream Girl is indeed a dream of a novel for suspense lovers and fans of literary satire alike.”

–Maureen Corrigan ( The Washington Post )

9. A Lonely Man by Chris Power (FSG)

12 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed Read Chris Power on the deep, dark influences behind A Lonely Man , here

“Chris Power’s elegant first novel is a slyly ensnaring literary thriller written in immaculate prose … an almost self-effacing commitment to unadorned clarity … Power’s restraint pays off, making for a subtly immersive read, his sentences rippling like clear water even as the story’s murkier undertow pulls you out to sea. He doesn’t skimp on themes either, raising interesting questions about whether stories draw their power from reality or imagination, who (if anyone) owns them, and what privileges narrative control confers on the teller. Contemporary socio-political issues aside, A Lonely Man is a gripping and deftly controlled novel that proves Power is as good at writing books as he is at writing about them.”

–Louis Conway ( Vanity Fair )

10. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Celadon Book)

9 Rave • 7 Positive • 2 Mixed

“If you’re a person who harbors notions about the glamour of the writing life, The Plot will jettison them to the deepest, darkest trench of the ocean floor. If you’re a novelist who has endured the humiliation of a reading with no audience, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s latest novel will help you laugh about the empty room. And if you’re a reader who likes stories where a terrible decision snowballs out of control, this book is just what the librarian ordered. Welcome to a spectacular avalanche … as a longtime fan of Korelitz’s novels, I will say that I think The Plot is her gutsiest, most consequential book yet. It keeps you guessing and wondering, and also keeps you thinking: about ambition, fame and the nature of intellectual property (the analog kind) … Jake Bonner’s insecurity, vulnerability and fear are familiar to those of us who have faced a blank screen, wondering how or whether we’ll be able to scramble letters into a story. Korelitz takes these creative hindrances and turns them into entertainment. Not only does she make it look easy, she keeps us guessing until the very end.”

–Elizabeth Egan ( The New York Times Book Review )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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45 Upcoming Books By Black Authors You Can Preorder Right Now

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Laura Sackton

Laura Sackton is a queer book nerd and freelance writer, known on the internet for loving winter, despising summer, and going overboard with extravagant baking projects. In addition to her work at Book Riot, she reviews for BookPage and AudioFile, and writes a weekly newsletter, Books & Bakes , celebrating queer lit and tasty treats. You can catch her on Instagram shouting about the queer books she loves and sharing photos of the walks she takes in the hills of Western Mass (while listening to audiobooks, of course).

View All posts by Laura Sackton

The racism, state-sanctioned violence, and police brutality that Black people in the U.S. are facing right now is not new. Neither is the anger, grief, fear, and exhaustion that so many people are feeling. Since books are what we do here at the Riot, I’ve put together a list of upcoming books by Black authors that you can preorder right now. Buying books by Black authors is one tangible way to listen to, celebrate, and uplift Black voices.

I am not implying that buying books by Black authors is a substitute for the ongoing anti-racist work we need to do to make this country free and livable for all Black and other marginalized people. Getting educated about the history of race and racism in the U.S. , providing financial or other support/solidarity to protestors and anti-racist organizations, and dismantling white supremacy in our lives, jobs, and relationships are all crucial. This is a “yes, and” situation. If buying books is in your budget, now is a good time to give those dollars to Black writers.

I included books from as many genres as possible on this list. But, of course, these books are only a drop in the bucket; there are many more upcoming books by Black authors than I could possibly fit on one list. Preorder these books if you’re able. If not, put them on hold or request that your library buy them. Shout about them on social media. Black writers today are creating so much beautiful work that deserves celebration and recognition from every single one of us.

Our Time Is Now by Stacey Abrams (Nonfiction)

Politician and activist Stacey Abrams lays out strategies for voting reform and building inclusive political movements in 2020 and beyond in this insightful and passionate book. She also recounts stories, lessons, and victories from her 2018 gubernatorial campaign and the social justice work she’s done since then.

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani (YA Fiction)

In her second novel, Tamani follows two Black teenagers through all the joys and complications of falling in love for the first time. Carli and Rex are both star basketball players at their respective Texas high schools. They seem destined to be together, but their own secrets—and those of their families—threaten to keep them apart.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (Romance)

When Samiah learns that she’s been dumped by a jerk of a boyfriend who did the same thing to two other women, their story goes viral online and they become best friends. Putting men on hold, they plan to spend several months focusing on themselves. Samiah is busy developing her dream app when she meets a new man at work, and suddenly “on hold” becomes a lot harder.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (Fiction)

Told from the point-of-view of a generation of children, this harrowing and hopeful epic novel explores what happens when a greedy American oil company clashes with the residents of a small African village.

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (Fiction)

Set on the South Side of Chicago, this mystery explores race, friendship, and family legacies. When Ruby King’s mother is found murdered, she’s left on her own with her violent father. Her best friend Layla is the only one who seems to understand how much danger she’s in, but as Layla uncovers secrets about their families’ pasts, her relationship with Ruby becomes more and more tangled.

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory (Romance)

In the latest installment of the Wedding Date series, Jasmine Guillory delivers another charming, sexy, feel-good romance. Olivia has just moved to L.A. to start her own law firm. Max is a hotshot senator often in the spotlight. They meet at hotel bar without knowing anything about each other—and then have to figure out how to build a relationship amidst their demanding careers and media attention.

Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (Romance)

Danika Brown is focused on her career, not romance. But when a video of her coworker Zafir rescuing her from a botched fire drill at work goes viral, she agrees to fake date him. The problem was fake dating is that it sometimes turns into real dating…especially when Zaf is secretly a hopeless romantic and Danika isn’t maybe as romance-averse as she once thought.

Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture by Emma Dabiri (Nonfiction)

In this collection of essays blending the personal and the political, Emma Dabiri explores the ins and outs of Black hair culture, including the ways Black hair has been appropriated throughout history, the continued stigmatization of Black hair today, and the cultural movements celebrating black hair. She uses Black hair as a lens to examine racism, pop culture, body politics, and history.

Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera (Romance)

Due to his work, Desta Joy Walker finds himself in Addis Ababa on his 26th birthday, a city that contains both the happy memories of his first home and the sad ones of his father’s death. While there, he meets Elias Fikru, a young man who’s been wrestling with the decision to leave his home and pursue his PhD in the U.S. Their chance meeting changes the direction of both their lives.

This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope by Shayla Lawson (Essays)

In this funny and moving collection of essays, Lawson takes a deep dive into black girl culture. She combines personal stories, pop culture insight, and historic and cultural analysis into a book that looks at all the ways Black women and girls are at the center of mainstream culture.

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert (YA Fiction)

In this story, told over the course of a single day, two teenagers team up to fight for their right to vote. When politically active Marva sees another teenager turned away at the polls when he tries to vote, she decides to help him get to the bottom of the problem. So begins their whirlwind day, which contains equal parts romance and activism.

Slay in Your Lane Presents: Loud Black Girls by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené (Essays)

In this essay anthology of writing by Black British women, over 20 new and establish writers speak about what matters to them as Black women in the UK in this present moment.

Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola (Folktales and Mythology)

In this collection of romantic short stories, Babalola draws on mythology, folklore, history, and ancient epics from around the world to retell classic tales in new ways. It’s a celebration of the beautiful diversity that exists in stories of love, desire, and connection.

The Beauty in the Breaking by Michele Harper (Memoir)

In this poignant memoir, Michele Harper, an African American emergency room doctor, explores the many ways that her work as a physician has aided her own journey of self-healing. She also gets into what it’s like to be a Black woman in a predominately male-dominated field, and the ways that racism permeates the U.S. medical system.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (Crime)

Bug Montage is an honest car mechanic, but once upon a time he was well-known as an expert getaway driver. When financial disaster lures him into participating in a massive diamond heist, he only wants to get the job done and get out of crime forever. But when the heist goes wrong, he gets pulled into a dangerous world that threatens the life he’s built for himself.

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Historical Fantasy)

In this dark historical fantasy, set in New York City just before the start of World War II, a girl from Harlem is drawn into the city’s underworld when she’s hired as an assassin.

Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (Memoir)

In this harrowing memoir, Trethewey reckons with the brutal murder of her mother by her former stepfather. She was only 19 when her mother was murdered, and in this moving and heartbreaking book, she explores the ways that trauma has shaped her as a person and and an artist. She delves into her mother’s life in the segregated South, as well as her own girlhood as the child of an interracial couple. With keen insight and a poet’s grace, she writes about the lasting legacies of abuse and racism, as well as the ferocity of love and resilience.

Luster by Raven Leilani (Fiction)

This sharp and witty novel follows Edie, a twentysomething Black woman, who is struggling to become an artist and working an admin job. When she starts a relationship with a man in an open marriage, she’s slowly drawn into the life of his family.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (Fiction)

Set in a small town in Nigeria, this book begins when a mother opens her door to discover the body of her child, Vivek, on her doorstep. What follows is the unforgettable story of Vivek’s life. Like Emezi’s debut, Freshwater , this is a bighearted book teeming with all the complexity and mess of human relationships.

Wandering in Strange Lands by Morgan Jerkins (Nonfiction)

Morgan Jerkins grew up in New Jersey; her grandparents came north during the Great Migration. In this stirring book that is part memoir, part history, she sets out to understand her place in the history of movement that has shaped Black America. Her quest takes her on a journey across the country, where she visits with Black people from many diverse cultures.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (Science Fiction)

This creative novel is set in a world where travel between worlds is finally possible, with one catch: you can’t travel to a world where another version of yourself exists. This makes Cara the perfect candidate for multiverse travel, as nearly all of her other selves have died. But when one of her few remaining selves suddenly dies, Cara sets off a dangerous quest across world that reveals new truths about herself and the universe.

Here is the Sweet Hand by francine j. harris (Poetry)

In her third collective of poems, francine j. harris uses innovate forms to explore womanhood, blackness, solitude, art, aging, and the myths surrounding femininity and loneliness.

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (Nonfiction)

In her latest book, brilliant historian Isabel Wilkerson ( The Warmth of Other Suns ) takes a long look at the often-unseen and unspoken caste system that has defined American history and continues to shape modern American culture and politics. Meticulously researched and full of stories about real people, this book also takes a look at caste systems around the world, and the common factors that hold them up.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (YA Fantasy)

Raised by a mysterious and absent mother, Tarisai has always longed for a family. When she’s chosen to compete with several other children to become a member of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11, she hopes it’ll be the family she’s always dreamed of having. But her mysterious mother asks her to kill the Crown Prince instead, she’s forced to stand up for herself and her life like never before.

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor (Middle Grade Fantasy)

In this middle grade fantasy, a young boy sets out to get justice for his murdered father. But he’s not sure what he, only 12, can do, until a mysterious meeting in the night leaves him with an object that gives him magical powers, and a charge to use those powers to do good in the world.

September 1

Punching the air by ibi zoboi and yusef salaam (ya fiction).

Told in verse, this hard-hitting YA novel follows Amal Shahid, a poet and artist who is wrongfully incarcerated as a teenager, and who uses his poetry to fight back against an unjust system.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie (Fiction)

Afi Tekple is a seamstress living with her widowed mother in a small town in Ghana when she gets an offer to marry a wealthy man from Accra. When she arrives in the capital, she quickly learns that her new husband is in love with another woman of whom his family disapproved. They want her to woo him back. What follows is one woman’s journey to create a life on her own terms.

September 8

Transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi (fiction).

Gyasi’s second novel is the moving story of a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Since her brother died from an opioid overdose, Grifty has thrown herself into her PhD research in neuroscience. But she’s haunted by her childhood, and she’s drawn back into the family when she begins taking care of her depressed mother. This is a haunting, gorgeous book about addition, religion, science, and home.

Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine (Poetry)

In this breathtaking collection of poetry, essays, and images, Claudia Rankine asks Americans to do the hard work of talking to each other, and to open ourselves up to the painful conversations about racism, white supremacy, and violence that lead to change and growth. Angry, disruptive, insightful and always brilliant, this book is a must-read.

The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters (YA Fiction)

Wesley Hudson has three problems: his unrequited crush on his best friend, the fact that he might lose his dream job at a used bookstore thanks to a new coffee franchise, and his brother, who keeps asking him for wedding planning advice. All three problems converge in one summer that finally forces Wesley to face growing up.

September 15

When no one is watching by alyssa cole (thriller).

Romance author Alyssa Cole proves she can do sinister just as well as happily ever after in her first domestic thriller. This gripping novel takes a hard look at gentrification in one Brooklyn neighborhood, when one woman’s plan to protect her community and uphold its past quickly takes a dizzying and unexpected turn for the worst.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA Mystery)

When Korey Fields, a legendary R&B star, turns up dead, and Enchanted Jones wakes up with blood on her hands and no memory of how it got there, her life begins to spiral out of control. Previously on the edge of stardom, thanks to Korey taking her under his wing, she’s now struggling to explain her actions to the police, and herself.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (YA Fantasy)

Sixteen-year-old Bree is running from her past, and her mother’s death, when she witnesses a magical attack on her first night at a residential program for bright high school students. She’s soon caught up in a dark world of dangerous creatures and the human students who hunt them down. As she learns more about this mysterious magic and those who wield it, she discovers there was more to her mother’s death than she thought, and she’s about to be in the middle of a magical war.

September 22

Maya and the rising dark by rena barron (middle grade fantasy).

Twelve-year-old Maya is used to seeing strange magical beings around her Chicago neighborhood and in her dreams. But when her dad goes missing, and she sets out on a quest to find him, she no longer just sees strange things—she finds herself in the middle of an ongoing battle between our world and the Dark world.

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall (Mystery)

In this mystery about two complex women and the nature of secrets, Grayson Sykes sets out on a search for Isabel Lincoln—even though she might not want to be found. As Grayson slowly uncovers more about Isabel’s life, and the secrets she’s kept, her quest grows murkier and more dangerous.

September 29

Dear justyce by nic stone (ya fiction).

In this follow up to Dear Martin , Nic Stone tells the story of an incarcerated teenager, Quan, who writes letters to Justyce (the hero of Dear Martin ) about his experiences in the American prison system.

Burning Sugar by Cicely Belle Blain (Poetry)

In this debut collection, Cicely Belle Blain explores the legacies of trauma and history on Black bodies. They use poetry to explore activism, racism, queerness, resilience, and the ongoing pain caused by colonization and system oppression.

Class Act by Jerry Craft (Middle Grade Graphic Novel)

In this companion to New Kid , Jerry Craft returns with another funny, smart, and moving middle grade graphic novel about friendship and being yourself. This one focuses on Drew, one of the few kids of color at private school, and his efforts to keep his group of friends together.

Memorial by Bryan Washington (Fiction)

Benson and Mike are a couple at a crossroads. Mike is a Japanese American chef and Benson is a Black day care teacher; they’ve been together for a few years and aren’t sure about the future of their relationship. Everything changes when Mike flies to Japan to visit his dying father while, at the same time, his mother arrives in Houston and ends up staying with Benson.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Fantasy)

Set in Prohibition-era Georgia, this dark fantasy novella combines real-life racist monsters with supernatural monsters and demons. It features incredible (and terrifying) world-building and a badass heroine.

If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Romance)

In this Cinderella retelling, Amanda Queen, aspiring screenwriter, shares one amazing night with hotshot actor Sam Pleasant before she disappears. What follows is a zany, fun and romantic adventure as the two find their way back to each other—and maybe learn something about themselves in the process.

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi (Fiction)

In this epic family saga spanning three continents, Ekwuyasi tells the story of three Nigerian women: Kambirinachi, who believes herself to be a non-human spirit destined to bring her family grief, and her twin daughters. After years of living apart, the twins return to Lagos, where all three three women must confront their complicated relationships in order to move forward.

November 10

Inheritance by taylor johnson (poetry).

Inspired by everyday events, ordinary moments, and day-to-day living in Washington, D.C., these poems tackle identity, desire, and the ongoing struggle of self-discovery and definition.

Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham (Nonfiction)

This multimedia collection celebrates the creative work of Black artists, writers, activists, and thinkers. It combines poetry, essays, photos, recipes, tweets, and more into a kaleidoscopic vision of Black excellence and the many possibilities for Black futures.

King of the Rising by Kacen Callender (Fantasy)

This is Callender’s second novel set in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world plagued by the evils of colonial oppression, the follow-up to Queen of the Conquered . This book follows Loren, former slave turned revolutionary leader, who’s charged with leading a band of survivors in their quest to bring freedom to their island once and for all.

While preordering books is a fantastic way to support Black authors, it’s not something everyone can do. If you’re looking for more books by Black authors you can read right now, we’ve got you covered:

You can also check out this list of awesome Black-owned publishers , and for more ideas about how to weave racial justice into your reading life, check out How to be an Anti-Racist Reader .

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Mystery and thriller listens by Black authors

September 1, 2023

Mysteries and thrillers are among our favorite listens for an instant escape, though the genre, like others, has historically suffered from a lack of diverse representation. The good news is that the publishing landscape is changing to prioritize diversity in all genres of literature, allowing for different perspectives to flourish and inspiring future generations of writers. Here are some of our very favorite mysteries and thrillers by Black authors (and we’ve thrown in some horror for good measure) to date.

Brandon and Justine have just moved into their new house, an idyllic Craftsman bungalow in a picture-perfect enclave of East Los Angeles. Seemingly everything is perfect. Except what lies beneath the house could destroy it all...

How It Ends

For fans of Lisa Unger and Shalini Boland comes a propulsive short thriller about a mysterious attack and a young woman who must uncover the truth to protect herself....

While Justice Sleeps

From celebrated national leader and best-selling author Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps is a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the US Supreme Court....

My Soul to Keep

From the award-winning master of horror and Afrofuturism Tananarive Due comes a modern classic of dark introspection. When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach...

A Rage in Harlem

Samuel L. Jackson gives a swaggering, darkly humored performance of Chester Himes' classic first novel....

In the ruins of the collapsed United States, private inspector, Cybil Lewis and her inspector-in-training, Jane, fill a need. When Jane insists they look into her cousin's disappearance, Cybil agrees and is catapulted into a world of lies and deceit....

When Lena Johnson’s beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan....

We Cast a Shadow

"You can be beautiful, even more beautiful than before." This is the seductive promise of Dr. Nzinga’s clinic, where anyone can get their lips thinned, their skin bleached, and their nose narrowed - if you can afford it....

Parable of the Talents

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of horrifying depravity....

American Spy

It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. When she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso, she says yes....

The Conjure-Man Dies: A Harlem Mystery

When the body of N’Gana Frimbo, the African conjure-man, is discovered in his consultation room, Perry Dart, one of Harlem’s 10 Black police detectives, is called in to investigate. Together with Dr Archer, a physician from across the street, Dart is determined to solve the baffling mystery...

Yetu holds the memories for her people - water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners - who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one - the historian....

How Long 'Til Black Future Month?

N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed speculative fiction authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, Jemisin equally challenges and delights listeners with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption....

A Blade So Black

From debut author L. L. McKinney comes an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue. A Blade So Black delivers an irresistible urban fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland , but it's not the Wonderland you remember....

When No One Is Watching

With Brooklyn becoming more gentrified by the day, Sydney fights to preserve what little is left by organizing a walking tour of her neighborhood's historic points of interest. With the help of new neighbor Theo, Sydney begins researching the area's past and present…

A Deadly Inside Scoop

This book kicks off a charming cozy mystery series set in an ice cream shop - with a fabulous cast of quirky characters. Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family's ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she's going back to basics...

Razorblade Tears

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for 15 years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid. The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek....

The Other Black Girl

Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing....

My Sister, the Serial Killer

Korede is resentfully loyal to her little sister Ayoola, who is pretty and outgoing—all the things Korede is not. Ayoola is also a killer, and with three dead boyfriends, Korede knows this is becoming a pattern...

  • Mystery & Thriller

"Your Mama's Kitchen" transcript: Episode 23

black mystery writers 2021

The Best Mystery Novels of 2021

Our crime fiction columnist picks the books that wowed her this year.

Credit... Weegee, via Getty Images

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By Sarah Weinman

  • Published Dec. 7, 2021 Updated Dec. 9, 2021

Here is a secret worth sharing: Every year is a good year for crime fiction. I’ve known this for as long as I’ve been a serious reader of the genre, but was reminded anew as my first calendar year writing the Crime column nears its end. It’s been a pleasure to reconnect with old favorites and to acquaint myself with new ones, and to tour the ways in which crime writing opens a window onto society, revealing frayed and newly forged strands. Whittling down the list to a thieves’ dozen of standouts was difficult, as it should and must be.

History is the common thread for most of my selections, partly because the distance of several decades allows for welcome escape from contemporary concerns, and also because new context illuminates both past and present. Nekesa Afia’s debut, DEAD DEAD GIRLS (Berkley Prime Crime, 336 pp., paper, $16) , evokes women’s lives, circa 1920s Harlem Renaissance, in all their wayward and beautiful glory, as well as the abruptness with which their hopes and dreams can be violently snuffed out.

Stephen Spotswood’s second outing, MURDER UNDER HER SKIN (Doubleday, 368 pp., $23.99) , furthers the adventures of my favorite new sleuthing duo, Lillian Pentecost and Will Parker, as they solve mysteries in a 1940s milieu evoking Nero Wolfe and film noir. And though it is clearly set in the present day, Richard Osman’s joyous THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE (Pamela Dorman/Viking, 352 pp., $26) evokes classic crime tropes with a mix of sparkling humor and emotion.

This year’s crime fiction crop also featured several fresh spins on World War II. Derek B. Miller’s HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 368 pp., $26) felt especially attuned to my tastes, featuring midcentury gangsters, the famed Catskills resort Grossinger’s, the birth of standup comedy and tender examinations of Jewish identity. Naomi Hirahara’s CLARK AND DIVISION (Soho, 320 pp., $27.95) explored the ramifications of Japanese internment through the prism of one young woman determined to solve the murder of her sister. And FIVE DECEMBERS (Hard Case Crime, 425 pp., $29.99) , an epic of war, imprisonment, torture, romance, foreign language and culture by James Kestrel, movingly considers the cost of mass death.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s VELVET WAS THE NIGHT (Del Rey, 284 pp., $28) was a particular favorite, an immensely satisfying brew flavored with love, heartbreak, violence, music and unsettling dread set in early 1970s Mexico. Here is an author in total command of the genre.

A number of novels examined the ever-fraught relationship between artist and source material. The one that lingered most was Alexandra Andrews’s stylish and assured debut, WHO IS MAUD DIXON? (Little, Brown, 324 pp., $28) , a clever satire of writerly envy and ambition that shows why living in one’s own skin can be the scariest prospect of all.

Another growing trend in crime fiction this year centered on its relationship to real-life crime, whether using the true-crime podcast as a framing device or exploring the effects of actual killings. This category produced several superior efforts, above all Willa C. Richards’s debut, THE COMFORT OF MONSTERS (Harper, 400 pp., $27) , which juxtaposed a layered narrative of sisterhood, tough upbringings, violence and grief against the arrest of the Milwaukee serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of 1991.

This year brought the first pandemic novels, and the coming months and years will undoubtedly produce more. Catie Disabato’s U UP? (Melville House, 305 pp., paper, $17.99) doesn’t quite count, since it was largely completed before lockdowns, yet it captures the feeling of the past 18 months. Its text-message-saturated, paranormal-tinged examination of loss, whether through sudden death or friendship rupture, creates an existential nightmare for the novel’s main character, Eve, as she tries to find her deepest self within the wreckage of the other selves she has abandoned.

My favorite crime novel was one I didn’t write about. But I echo the hosannas showered, in this paper and elsewhere, upon S.A. Cosby’s RAZORBLADE TEARS (Flatiron, 336 pp., $26.99) , a blistering and emotionally devastating portrait of parental grief and longstanding prejudice, and an express-train thriller of revenge achieved and denied. It’s brutal and violent and full of grace.

Finally, this year brought a bounty of welcome reissues. Those I rate highest are RHODE ISLAND RED , COQ AU VIN and DRUMSTICKS (all Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, paper, $16 each), Charlotte Carter’s jazz-inflected series featuring the street busker-turned-sleuth Nanette Hayes; Dorothy B. Hughes’s iconic 1946 noir novel, RIDE THE PINK HORSE (American Mystery Classics, 288 pp., paper, $15.95) ; the landmark 1987 puzzle mystery THE DECAGON HOUSE MURDERS (Pushkin, 288 pp., paper, $16) , by Yukito Ayatsuji; and Anthony Berkeley’s THE WINTRINGHAM MYSTERY (Harper 360/Collins Crime Club, 236 pp., $16.99) , republished for the first time in almost 95 years and a brilliant example of the author’s fiendish plotting skills.

Sarah Weinman’s crime fiction column appears twice a month in the Book Review.

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

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In Lucy Sante’s new memoir, “I Heard Her Call My Name,” the author reflects on her life and embarking on a gender transition  in her late 60s.

For people of all ages in Pasadena, Calif., Vroman’s Bookstore, founded in 1894, has been a mainstay in a world of rapid change. Now, its longtime owner says he’s ready to turn over the reins .

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2021 Fantasy and Science Fiction Books by Black Authors

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10 Must-Read Books By Black Authors Using Fantasy to Explore Black Imagination

We've rounded up the best fantasy books by black authors whose tales will transport you to new worlds of magic, mystery, dragons and more..

The outsized impact Fantasy has had on literature is often minimized because so many people view this genre as escapist fiction. But historically, authors have used Fantasy not only to entertain but also to comment on issues and injustices society avoided engaging with, and today, many talented Black authors are turning to Fantasy to shatter seemingly impossible-to-break-through glass ceilings, drive awareness of unchecked injustice and shine a light on revelatory Black storytelling.

SEE ALSO: The Best Books to Cozy Up With When You’re Feeling Romantic

Why Fantasy? Because the genre can do something other forms of storytelling often can’t: reshape reality entirely, for better or for worse, to showcase the best and the ugliest truths about us all. Black History Month is a great time to restock your shelf with books by Black authors who are telling fantastical tales inspired by true events and otherworldly stories with wild Star-Wars-meets-the-Authurian-legend vibes. It’s also a great time to acknowledge that the best books in the genre are increasingly being penned by diverse voices. There’s a lot to love in this list of ten amazing books that use Fantasy to explore Black imagination.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

A book cover featuring a woman with red light swiling around her wrist

Legendborn is one of the most stunning books of recent years. Bree Matthews enters a secret society she discovers is connected to her mother’s mysterious death. They are the Legendborn, the exalted heirs of King Arthur’s knights who fight demons in the contemporary South. Members keep the famous tales of King Arthur alive but also exemplify the institutional racism of historical and modern-day America. This is a complicated tale of grief and Black girlhood but one that’s so full of what readers of Young Adult Fantasy find so appealing: secret societies, intense romantic moments in between demon fights, brooding goth boys and shocking family secrets. Deonn’s fresh take on the genre has been much needed.

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

A book cover featuring a woman floating in water

Jamison Shea’s Young Adult novel is a fantastical read focused on Black girl excellence in a racist institution—it’s also one of the best books of 2023 . Laure Mesny, a talented ballerina in the cutthroat world of Parisian ballet, is continuously overlooked for top positions. She’s ready to go to such extreme lengths to reach her ambitions that she makes a deal with a river of blood, and her monstrous instincts pull her down into a grim underworld in this book that’s both perfectly disturbing and spectacularly cathartic.

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

A book cover featuring a woman with braided hair looking outward

If you’re looking to read more gothics by Black authors, Lauren Blackwood’s Young Adult novel is a perfect book to add to your list. Within These Wicked Walls is an Ethiopian re-imagining of Jane Eyre with an exorcist in the titular protagonist’s role. Andromeda is hired to cleanse the household of ghostly manifestations and finds herself drawn toward Magnus Rochester, who is as interested in her as she is in him.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

A book cover featuring the words THE DEEP

The Deep , written by the author of An Unkindness of Ghosts , is ostensibly about the African slave women tossed overboard during the Middle Passage but in this short read, they are immortalized as mermaids in a mesmerizing underwater society. Originally a Hugo Award-nominated song by Daveed Diggs’ band, Clipping, this brilliant story tells the story of Yetu, who holds the memories of her people to keep the painful archives of their ancestors from disappearing. But keeping that trauma with her continuously proves traumatic. It’s a smart story that uses Fantasy to unpack the nuances of modern survival and generational trauma.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

A book cover featuring a close up of a woman looking down

Remembered as one of Science Fiction’s most iconic and canonical authors, Octavia Butler’s Kindred should be on every American’s shelf. Butler originally wrote Kindred as a response to the minimization of slavery and its impact. It’s an insightful, emotionally packed story about a Black woman facing the everyday horrors of her female ancestors. Dana is transported to the Antebellum South to the home of Rufus, the heir of the plantation where her ancestors were enslaved. Every time Dana is transported back in time, the closer she grows to knowing her ancestors and the difficult, complicated realities of their lives.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

A book cover featuring a woman with her arms outstretched

A story of colonialism, The Unbroken was inspired by France’s brutal colonization of North Africa. Touraine, stolen as a child to be groomed as a soldier of the empire, breaks off from what is expected of her and joins the rebellion. Luca, a princess who takes a liking to her, brings Touraine into her plot against her uncle. Together, they live lives of allyship, revenge, political maneuvering and romance. C.L. Clark’s debut Fantasy novel is perfect for fans of military fiction—this book adds a complex perspective-driven layer that enriches the usual narrative.

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark

A book cover featuring black gloves

In Ring Shout, or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the End Times , P. Djeli Clark puts a demonic twist on the rise of the Klan after the release of 1915’s Birth of a Nation . Across America, the Klan spreads fear as part of a plan to bring Hell to Earth. Maryse Boudreaux, a Harlem Hellfighter , hunts the Klan’s demons and then sends them back to Hell. With fascinating worldbuilding and strong characterization, Clark uses Fantasy paired with African American folklore to comment on real historical events that had a long-lasting impact on the U.S.

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

A book cover featuring a dragon skull

Evan Winter’s debut novel, The Rage of Dragons , is a coming-of-rage tale for anyone who has been searching for a beautifully told, Africa-inspired Dragon Fantasy. The Emehi, who have the power to call dragons, have been stuck in a centuries-long war. Tau, enraged at the loss of a loved one, becomes a warrior intent on taking revenge on his enemy.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A book cover featuring two women underwater

Tavia is a siren forced to keep her identity hidden in a society threatened by her kind. By her side is Effie, who is bent on escaping her own traumatic past in a city (a magical version of Portland, Oregon) that is buzzing about a siren murder trial. The girls try to live their lives as normally as they possibly can given this terrifying news. But when the murderer goes free, Tavia reveals her identity at the worst possible moment. A Song Below Water is Young Adult Fantasy set in a world where Black girls get to be mermaids, embrace Black girlhood and fight for justice in the same breath.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

A book cover featuring two people, one shorter and younger and one older and taller

Tristan Strong is mourning the loss of his friend after a catastrophic bus accident. When he’s sent to Alabama to live with his grandparents, a strange creature takes his friend Eddie’s journal and pulls them both into a world inspired by African-American folklore. With John Henry and Brer Rabbit, Tristan is determined to find a way back home—but he’ll have to barter with the famed trickster god of West African mythology, Anansi. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a middle-grade Fantasy story that emphasizes the importance of children hearing the tales of their ancestors and knowing where their families come from.

10 Must-Read Books By Black Authors Using Fantasy to Explore Black Imagination

  • SEE ALSO : ‘Suncoast’ Is Another Mediocre Coming-of-Age Movie That Makes Too Many Wrong Choices

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black mystery writers 2021

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    No Black mystery and thriller list would be complete without adding the incomparable Walter Mosley. His Easy Rawlins mystery series — which reached new popularity with the film Devil in a Blue Dress — is an ongoing series about a Los Angeles-based detective. In Charcoal Joe, Easy believes he's on the right track to finding happiness.He's opened up a new detective agency and is ready to ...

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  10. What's New in Mystery/Thrillers by Black Authors

    "The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set during the Harlem Renaissance from debut author Nekesa Afia. Harlem, 1926. Young black women like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead. Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She's succeeding, too.

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    1. the Other Black Girl By Zakiya Dalila Harris. In this thrilling debut, Nella is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. That is, until Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers and the two bond immediately. Things change, though, when Hazel becomes an office darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

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    Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham (Nonfiction) This multimedia collection celebrates the creative work of Black artists, writers, activists, and thinkers. It combines poetry, essays, photos, recipes, tweets, and more into a kaleidoscopic vision of Black excellence and the many possibilities for Black futures.

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