The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

50. Related to the word “Murder”

For our final poll, we asked you to vote for a word-related prompt you’d like to see on our 2023 challenge. “Murder” was the number one vote, and also happened to be the finalist drawn in our random draw.

This prompt is all about murder! Pick a book that somehow relates to the word “murder.”

Examples might include: The word “Murder” in the title, a depiction of murder or a murder weapon on the cover, a true crime novel, a memoir of an individual accused of murder (innocent or not), any book that includes a murder or a character accused or convicted of murder, a story about a book club that reads a murder mystery, etc.

A creative interpretation for this prompt includes a book somehow related to crows. (A group of crows is called a “murder of crows.”)

Think this prompt is too easy? Find a book somehow related to murder but that’s NOT within the mystery, true crime, or thriller genre. Your challenge, your rules! You can make this challenge as difficult as you like!


Click here for our Goodreads List of suggestions

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

I have been working on the Agatha Christie Challenge do I will most likely use one of those for this prompt. They are always about murder and many have “Murder” in the title.

I’m using The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons

I'm looking at Murder: The Biography (which also has a great typographic cover, too.)

Also Unmasked: Crime Scenes, Cold Cases and My Hunt for the Golden State Killer
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide

I read ‘A Good Girls Guide to Murder’ for this one (and finished the series by using the other two for prompts!) and really enjoyed it.

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie. 5/5 for me.

I read Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose which is a play written in 1954 which looks at the 12 men on the jury who are responsible for deciding the fate of a 16 year old boy accused of murdering his father. Excellent character study in the types of personalities that potentially make up juries and how one hold out can make all the difference.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley- M C Beaton

The Thursday Murder Club

I read A Face to Die For by Iris Johansen. She's one of my favorite authors and this did not disappoint! I figured with "die" in the title there was bound to be a murder or two, any this book did not let me down; it fit right into the category.

Broken Harbor by Tana French. A complicated murder mystery that kept me guessing to the end. This one would also work for the "set in Dublin" prompt. A

I read the Gambit Queens. A debut book by Parini Shroff. I enjoyed the book. It was sad but funny at times.

I read The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, which was translated from Korean. This was a bit more violent than my normal mysteries, but the story itself was worth the read.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Lots and lots of murders - think “Charlie’s Angels in their 60s” - a blast to read! I started this book late Dec 2022, and finished in early Jan 2023, so I don’t count it as a true “read in 2023” book for me.

I'm reading The Cromwell Street Murders: A Detective's Story by John Bennett. It's a True Crime memoir about Fred and Rose West

Deb wrote: "Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Lots and lots of murders - think “Charlie’s Angels in their 60s” - a blast to read!"When I read this I described it as Charlie's Angels mix with RED.

I read The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. It was the next book up for the Agatha Christie Challenge.

Anna wrote: "Deb wrote: "Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Lots and lots of murders - think “Charlie’s Angels in their 60s” - a blast to read!"When I read this I described it as Charlie's Angels mix ..."
I love that!!!

Death of the Heart - Elizabeth Bowen (not my favorite)

I'm reading The Murder Mystery

The Seven Ages of Death by Dr Richard Shepherd (a forensic pathologist)

Murder at the Manor by Catherine Coles. This can also be used for #10, since it's set in the 1920s.

I read Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman....it was a great read and I enjoyed the flow of the story. As the chapter were on certain characters through the book. I highly recommend if you haven't read this book.

Laura Lippman

Notes on an Execution

I just finished The Maid by Nita Prose. I rated it 3.5 stars.

The Sleigh by Max Hawthorne

I finished Candy Slain Murder By Maddie Day for a holiday cozy. The 8th book in the series but it can easily be read as a Stand-alone. This small town mystery had a heartwarming ending. Enjoy.

I read De brief voor de koning

Just finished the second book in the Thursday Murder Club-first book on the 52 challenge for the word -murder. Excited to take this journey.

I read The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman for this prompt. It's the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series....an enjoyable read!

I read Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, 4.5 Stars

Just finished Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. 4.25 stars.
Was super informative

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer By Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood. Smooth, easy read.

I read A Deadly Secret by Melanie Dickerson. In addition to "deadly" in the title, the fmc is accused of murdering her husband.

I just enjoyed reading Richard Osman’s ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ for this prompt.

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. Audio version.

I used A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking for this prompt. it was cute.

I used “Little Souls” for this prompt.

I read Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie.

Like a couple of other readers, I read Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn -- great fun! And nice to see older women being active protagonists with considerable agency as well as authentically late-middle-aged bodies.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Since I used The Housemaid for a book "everyone" has read, I'll use Verity here. Hated this book.

The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J. Harris https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2023...

Starters by Lissa Price

🌟🌟🌟

A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place during Afghan war, with plenty accounts of casualties of war, women victims of sharea law, and murder of ... no spoilers. Loved the book!

False Witness by Karin Slaughter