Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover – Issue Twenty-Seven: Mystery & Thriller (Part 2)

“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!

Murder! Suspense! Intrigue! Is there anything better than a good mystery novel? While mystery isn’t necessarily a genre I read with much frequency, when I do I never fail to enjoy the exciting rush of piecing together the clues and attempting to solve the mystery before everything has been revealed. I blame all those years spent watching Poirot when I was younger. Some of my favourite covers this week include The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black, My Dead Friend Sarah by Peter Rosch, Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell, After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman, Slaughter’s Hound by Declan Burke and All The Birds Singing by Evie Wyld.

The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black ● Something More Than Night by Rob Lloyd Jones ● The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black

Neat Vodka by Anna Blundy ● My Favourite Poison by Anna Blundy ● Double Shot by Anna Blundy

Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse ● The Stars Were Right by K. M. Alexander ● My Dead Friend Sarah by Peter Rosch

The Kept Girl by Kim Cooper ● Heirs Of The Body by Carola Dunn ● Chasing The Sun by Natalia Sylvester

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas ● More Than You Can Say by Paul Torday ● Light Shining In The Forest by Paul Torday

What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell ● After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman ● All The Birds Singing by Evie Wyld

The End Of The Wasp Season by Denise Mina ● Slaughter’s Hound by Declan Burke ● All The Birds Singing by Evie Wyld

Gemini by Carol Cassella ● Dead Man’s Fancy by Keith McCafferty ● Light Shining In The Forest by Paul Torday

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!

5 Responses

  1. My favourite covers of those you’ve showcased are the books by Anna Blundy – I haven’t read them but the cover art is so eye catching.

    I also really like the newest cover of Dangerous Girls. I recently read said book and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was. A hidden gem I’d say!

    Thanks for sharing, yet again, some amazing book covers.

    🙂

  2. Thank you for including Paul Rogers’ artwork for my “The Kept Girl” in your selection of recent mystery cover designs. What wonderful company to be in!

    Paul wrote an interesting blog post (http://drawger.com/paulrogers/?section=articles&article_id=14749) about his process in creating this commission, with insights into the mid-century illustrator whose style inspired it and the embedded symbolism. There’s also a second cover for the book: art deco foiled wraps designed by Phil Goldwhite for the deluxe Subscriber’s Edition (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59181614@N00/12913178985/).

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Hi! I’m Jen! I’m a thirty-something introvert who loves nothing more than the cozy comfort of home and snuggling my two rescue cats, Pepper and Pancakes. I also enjoy running, jigsaw puzzles, baking and everything Disney. Few things bring me more joy than helping a reader find the right book for them!

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