Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover–Issue Thirty-Four: Mystery & Thriller (Part 3)

“Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover” is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design. This feature is inspired by Katie’s feature Cover Love on her blog One Page At A Time. The idea is being used with her gracious permission.

I think we’re all familiar with the age-old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. And you know what I have to say about that? Rubbish! Covers are an invaluable part of a book’s package. A truly great cover can tell you a lot about the novel contained within its pages. Book covers can also catch your attention and attract you to a novel you might otherwise ignore. So go ahead, judge a book by its cover – We all do it!

It’s baaaaack! No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. For those of you who may not know, when my old Macbook died a couple of months ago, I lost a number of editions of ‘Do Judge A Book By Its Cover’ that I had been in the process of completing and preparing to post. When all of that hard work was lost, however, my motivation to start all over again from scratch went right along with it. Well, after a two month hiatus, I’m back and ready to celebrate the beauty, artistry and creativity that is modern book cover design. Some of my favourite covers this week include Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham, Girl On A Wire by Gwenda Bond, The Bargaining by Carly Anne West, Because We Are by Ted Oswald, The Skeleton In The Closet by M.C. Beaton, The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen and Barcelona Shadows by Marc Pastor.

Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway by Sara Gran ● Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham ● Girl On A Wire by Gwenda Bond

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian ● Something Nasty In The Woodshed by Kyril Bonfiglioli ● The Bargaining by Carly Anne West

Don’t Point That Thing At Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli ● All The Tea In China by Kyril Bonfiglioli ● Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis

The Infatuations by Javier Marías ● Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey ● The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery by Kyril Bonfiglioli

After You With The Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli ● The Arsonist by Sue Miller ● Because We Are by Ted Oswald

Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock by Emily Brightwell ● Because We Are by Ted Oswald ● The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell

The Skeleton In The Closet by M.C. Beaton ● The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen ● Below by Meg McKinlay

Liars Inc. by Paula Stokes ● Thick As Thieves by Peter Spiegelman ● Barcelona Shadows by Marc Pastor

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favourite mystery and thriller covers? Did I list one of your favourites here or is there one I forgot that just has to be included? Let me know in the comments!