Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Private Investigators
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$6,706
The median book price
$4.99
Bestseller's daily sales
299
50th book's daily sales
18
Average number of pages per book
271
Monopoly/Olygopoly detected
Yes
Performance tracking
Competitiveness
Volume sales
Book price
Volatility
New releases
Self published
Matching KDP categories
fiction > mystery & detective > private investigators
63.25%
fiction > mystery & detective > international mystery & crime
50.0%
fiction > mystery & detective > historical
35.36%
fiction > mystery & detective > general
35.36%
Keyword requirement
thriller, mystery, suspense, private investigator
Best selling keywords
Median title & subtitle length is 11 words:
- The Orphanage By The Lake: A Captivating Psychological Crime Thriller With A Twist
- Death and the Language of Happiness (A Cecil Younger Investigation Book 4)
- The Law: A Dresden Files Novella (Dresden Files, Book 17.5)
- The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel
- Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Season One: Episodes 1-6
- Indie success
-
25%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
31.58%
50%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
A MISSING GIRLAN ORPHANAGE FILLED WITH SECRETSOrder the new psychological crime thriller from bestselling author Daniel G. MillerHazel wants a new life.She’s thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is months away from folding.Her luck takes a turn when Madeline Hemsley, a mysterious socialite, pays Hazel a visit with an offer too enticing to resist. An orphan girl has disappeared from a children’s home—The Orphanage By The Lake, as the locals call it—and Madeline wants Hazel to find her.At first glance, it appears to be a standard runaway case, but as Hazel plunges into the investigation, she finds signs of something more: unexplained blood stains, cryptic symbols, sinister figures shadowing her every move. The more she digs, the more she realizes that The Orphanage By The Lake holds terrifying secrets, and even worse……so does Madeline.Fans of Freida McFadden's "The Housemaid", Charlie Donlea's "The Girl Who Was Taken", and Lisa Jewell's "None of This is True" will love this twisty thrill-ride.Read what everyone's saying about The Orphanage By The Lake:My heart is still pounding...What just happened? I’m an adult, how did a book shake me to my core...I tell ya, this one is good, real good. --Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“Devoured in twenty-four hours, it's the best book I've read in a long, long time.” --Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"This one blew me away! My heart is still in my throat as I finish it; it's a creepy, wild ride...It's dark and edgy but oh so good! Can't wait for Miller's next novel! --Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Heartbreaking and haunting, I won’t forget about Hazel or Mia anytime soon. Highly recommend this one! --Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read more
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P.I. Cecil Younger returns for another “thoroughly enjoyable and slightly wacko” mystery as he connects the dots between a modern-day murder and an Armistice Day tragedy (Boston Globe). In the Alaskan town of Sitka, the living is tough and the crimes are aplenty—and plenty personal. When 97-year-old William Flynn is accused of killing his neighbor, Angela Ramirez, he turns to private investigator Cecil Younger with an odd—and, frankly, rather incriminating—request. He wants Cecil to track down a man he believes witnessed Ramirez’s murder: her estranged husband, Simon Delaney. The only problem? Flynn doesn’t just want Cecil to find Delaney. He wants him to kill the man. Cecil knows that kind of thing would be bad for business, but he takes the job, hoping he can both convince Flynn to call off the manhunt and discover what really happened to his neighbor. But the old man isn’t making the job easy. He keeps confusing two different crimes: Angela Ramirez’s recent murder and an 80-year-old tragedy in which four American Legionnaires were killed during an Armistice Day Parade. Cecil struggles to sort through the old man’s befuddled memories and dives into the search for Delaney, which takes him on a journey through Alaska history and all over the Pacific Northwest, from the Aleutian Islands to Centralia, Washington. Read more
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The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel
Robert Galbraith
In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .Utterly pulse-pounding, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series. Read more
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Gone Forever (Jack Widow Book 1)
Scott Blade
The Navy SEALs trained him. A secret unit of the NCIS recruited him. Enemies fear him.For elite undercover operative Jack Widow, the news that someone shot his mother, a small-town sheriff, will unleash him in #1 bestselling author Scott Blade’s explosive series starter.Pulled off an undercover assignment, Widow returns home to a small town in Mississippi—a place he tried to forget.Taken to be a worthless drifter by the locals, Widow uses his skills to uncover the truth about his mother’s last investigation. What was she looking for?What he discovers is a mystery of missing girls and townspeople harboring a deadly secret—a secret they’ll die to protect.Good thing that Widow will kill to find out what.Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp, and Mark Greaney’s The Gray Man series will love the Jack Widow action-thriller-mystery series.If gripping page-turners loaded with mystery, suspense, action, twists & turns is your thing, then Widow is for you! Read International Bestseller Scott Blade’s first explosive book in the Jack Widow series today.Readers are saying…★★★★★ Read Scott Blade after you’ve read all the Lee Child books!★★★★★ Danger! This book series is highly addictive!★★★★★ Jack Reacher, watch out! Read more
The brand new gripping psychological thriller from bestselling author J.A. BakerJackson and Lydia Hemsworth are pillars of the community, feted for having the perfect marriage and three wonderful children – Florence, Jessica and Ezra.But appearances can be deceptive.Because behind closed doors Jackson Hemsworth rules his family with cruelty and control. His marriage is a sham; his children for years have cowed in fear.Until the day that Jackson and Lydia throw themselves off Newport Bridge in a joint suicide pact – the final cruel blow by Jackson to control his wife and torture his adult children.As the Hemsworth siblings return to their family home, they must try to make sense of their parents’ last act. But there are many dark secrets waiting to be unearthed at Armett House.Like, why are the townsfolk so suddenly hostile towards them? And who are the strangers who arrive at Armett House unannounced? And why has their mother’s body still not been found?In the aftermath of their parents’ death, it becomes clear that something terrible is about to be exposed about the Hemsworths’ perfect parents.A secret they may all wish had stayed hidden…What people are saying about J.A.Baker"Engaging characters, a chilling tale - Baker at her best!" Bestselling author Valerie Keogh."A dark and twisting thrill ride that asks the question: how well do you really know your parents? It kept me hooked until the final page!" Bestselling author M.A. Hunter."A dark and twisty thriller that keep you guessing at the truth, The Perfect Parents is an addictive read!" Bestselling author Alison Stockham."This captivating pacy thriller sucks you in from the first page and spits you out at the last! I thought I’d worked it out, but no… the twists kept coming and the final reveal is a heartbreaker 💔" Bestselling author Ruby Speechley"Intensely compelling, with so many twists I didn't see coming!' Bestselling author, Alex Stone Read more
A triple homicide. A blind witness. What is the sound of evil?Late one night, two young couples walked to a park in an affluent Bainbridge Island neighborhood to celebrate the sale of their tech startup. The next morning, three mutilated bodies were found.One witness was left alive. Blind from birth, she didn't see anything. But she heard everything. The killer took his time, butchering her friends as she listened to every sadistic moment. What she heard left her broken, traumatized, and barely able to speak.Private investigator Thomas Austin is the only person who can get her to open up. And when she does, the suspect list is shocking: the murders were committed by one of five people, all of whom the witness was dating.Stranded on the island after a rare summer storm closes the bridges and ferries, Austin must crack the case before the storm ends and the killer escapes forever. But when another massacre occurs—this one more gruesome than the first—he realizes the killer's motive is not what he imagined.This killer is more depraved than any he's ever seen.This is the stuff of nightmares. The fourth book in this twisty, fast-paced mystery series, The Horror at Murden Cove locks you on a storm-battered island with a killer whose motive is so deranged, you'll have to read the book twice to believe it.Series List (can be read in any order):Book 1: The Bones at Point No PointBook 2: The Shadows of Pike PlaceBook 3: The Fallen of Foulweather BluffBook 4: The Horror at Murden CoveBook 5: The Terror in the Emerald City Read more
A thousand people watched. No one saw a thing.Private investigator Thomas Austin is enjoying a relaxing holiday vacation in picturesque Port Townsend, Washington, accompanied by an intriguing new friend. But his tranquility is shattered when the nearby community of Mystery Bay is rocked by the death of a revered musician at an infamous counterculture festival: The Rabbit Hole.The Rabbit Hole is an annual gathering of musicians, gamers, techies, and political radicals who revere music, art, technology, and—perhaps most highly—mind-altering substances. Bound by an unspoken code of silence, festival goers refuse to aid police in their investigation, raising tensions between law enforcement and dozens of tight-lipped witnesses.Desperate, the local sheriff enlists Austin and the Kitsap Sheriff's Department to penetrate the stonewalling witnesses and unearth the truth. Navigating the unconventional beliefs and simmering conflicts permeating The Rabbit Hole, Austin nears a breakthrough. But as he does, the festival takes a deadly turn no one saw coming.In this community bound by defiance and dark secrets, Austin faces his most challenging case yet. A case that will leave him questioning everything he's ever been sure of, even his own sanity.The thrilling eighth installment in this acclaimed mystery series immerses you in a suspenseful journey into a quaint small town and a futuristic festival so strange—and so deadly—you'll have to read it to believe it.Series List (can be read in any order):• Book 1: The Bones at Point No Point• Book 2: The Shadows of Pike Place• Book 3: The Fallen of Foulweather Bluff• Book 4: The Horror at Murden Cove• Book 5: The Terror in the Emerald City• Book 6: The Drowning at Dyes Inlet• Book 7: The Nightmare at Manhattan Beach• Book 8: The Silence at Mystery Bay Read more
An elusive terrorist. A city on razor's edge. Twenty-four hours to stop a massacre.Former NYPD detective Thomas Austin is enjoying a rare date at a Monday Night Football game in Seattle when the evening takes a horrifying turn.A team of merciless terrorists has taken over the stadium by force, blocking cellphone signals and sealing the exits.The terrorists have a single demand: release a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative from a U.S. supermax prison. And they have a simple threat: do so in the next twenty-four hours or they will blow up the stadium, killing themselves along with tens of thousands of innocent victims.With 60,000 fans in the crosshairs, and the world watching live on TV, Austin must work with security inside the stadium to find a weak point in the terrorists' plans before the countdown ends. But the closer he gets to the attackers, the more he believes their true plan is even more sinister than anyone would believe.In the ultimate race against time, Thomas Austin will be tested in ways he never has before, and forced to answer the question: would you sacrifice someone you love to save a thousand strangers?Series List (can be read in any order):Book 1: The Bones at Point No PointBook 2: The Shadows of Pike PlaceBook 3: The Fallen of Foulweather BluffBook 4: The Horror at Murden CoveBook 5: The Terror in the Emerald CityBook 6: The Drowning at Dyes Inlet Read more
Dead Sand (Lewis Cole Book 1)
Brendan DuBois
When a young waitress is found dead at a New England beachside resort, a retired defense analyst with a mysterious past must uncover the truth behind her murder.Lewis Cole thought he’d left his demons behind. He was looking for serenity, retiring from his high-stress Defense Department job to become a magazine columnist living in the New Hampshire coast.But when a teenage waitress turns up dead, Cole finds himself thrust into action. There is something about this town, and the circumstances surrounding her death, that just doesn’t add up.As Cole delves deeper into the shadowy underbelly of the coastal community, he must navigate a web of deceit and danger, making unlikely alliances in his desperate search for justice. Grappling with a past marked by tragedy, he will first have to confront his own darkness and self-doubt.Can Lewis Cole catch a shadowy killer and find peace within himself? Or is he in way over his head?Dive into the first thrilling novel in New York Times bestselling author Brendan DuBois’ Lewis Cole series. With a dark blend of mystery and page-turning twists, Dead Sand is a must-read for fans of James Patterson and Michael Connelly._________________What readers are saying:★★★★★ "...exciting..."★★★★★ "...excellent..."★★★★★ "...brilliantly written..."★★★★★ "...unusual cast of characters..."★★★★★ "...one heck of an action-packed rollercoaster ride..." Read more
Things in the Middle Florida Keys aren’t as idyllic as they seem. If one looks closely, there’s a layer of dirt just below the surface. The butt-ugly kind of dirt that’s hard to get off.Things move slowly in the Keys—locals call it island time—but there are some for whom it seems that time is at a standstill; whose clocks revolve only around the tides, fish migrations, and the rising and setting of the sun and moon.Jesse McDermitt remembers the Keys the way he’d first found them as a young man. He’s lived on his little island in the Content Keys for a long time and he’s learned to adapt to some of the change. But not all of it has been positive, and it seems the dirt has a way of finding Jesse, sticking to his feet like Everglades mud.Is it finally time to go away? To completely disappear? He has the means and there are places in the world where the dirt hasn’t settled. Places he’d like to show his wife and family.A group of would-be yacht thieves attack the wrong boat, unleashing a series of events that will ensure their downfall. They come when most people are sleeping—under the cover of darkness. But nighttime and Jesse McDermitt are old and dear friends.Against his will, and along with his family and friends, Jesse is thrust back into the struggle between right and wrong one more time.And this time, it gets personal. Read more
A Cupcakes-and-Crime CaperWhen Tiffany and Rosie are asked to investigate the death of a performance artist, they’re not quite sure what to expect. Angry artists, a familiar loan shark, and uncooperative security guards all seem out to thwart their investigation. Will Tiffany and Rosie find the killer before they strike again?Meanwhile, Tiffany’s boyfriend Stone is dealing with his own unsolvable case, that of a missing armored van – can Tiffany help him uncover enough clues to reveal the van and the people who stole it?Praise for A.R. Winters:"The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com"A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, Amazon.com"For fans of Janet Evanovich, Rhys Bowen and Jana DeLeon, this is a funny, clean mystery." - Clara B, Amazon.comThe Case of The Perilous Performers is the twenty-fourth book in the Tiffany Black Cases Series and is a standalone novel.This is a light-hearted story featuring a strong female protagonist, some unusual friends and family, and a mystery that needs solving! It has no graphic gore or love scenes, or bad language. Read more
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What She Left (Martina Monroe Book 1)
H.K. Christie
She’s on her last chance. When the bodies start piling up, she’ll need to save more than her job.Martina Monroe is a single bad day away from losing it all. Stuck catching insurance fraudsters and cheating spouses due to a DUI, the despondent PI yearns to return to more fulfilling gigs. So when a prospective client asks for her by name to identify an unknown infant in a family photo, she leaps at the opportunity and travels to the one place she swore never to go: back home.As the pressure mounts and the temptation of booze calls like a siren, Martina digs into the mystery and discovers many of the threads have razor-sharp ends. And forced to partner with a resentful detective investigating a linked suspicious death, the haunted private eye unravels clues that delve deep into her past… and put her in a dark and dangerous corner.Can Martina and Detective Hirsch unlock the truth before they’re drowned in a sea of secrets?What She Left is the first book in the nail-biting thriller series starring Private Investigator Martina Monroe and Detective August Hirsch of the Cold Case Squad. If you love stories with high-stakes games, jaw-dropping twists, embattled seekers struggling to do right, and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you'll love the Martina Monroe series. Read more
Double Sin: And Other Stories (The Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Agatha Christie
From the acclaimed author of Murder on the Orient Express, eight short mystery stories featuring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings are on a bus to North Devon to help a friend when they encounter a case of stolen miniatures. Miss Marple investigates the murder of a woman who made changes to her will just a few days before her death. A gentleman is questioned about a killing that has yet to occur. A strange doll in a London dress shop appears to be watching everyone. A dying man found on the steps of a country church offers a clue to a crime in his last words. A French medium is left full of regret after taking on one last séance before retirement . . . These chilling tales and more await in this collection from the acclaimed Queen of Crime. Read more
The Running Grave: A Cormoran Strike Novel
Robert Galbraith
In the seventh installment in the "outrageously entertaining" Strike series, detective duo Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult. (Financial Times) Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside. The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths. In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . . Utterly page-turning, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series. Read more
Everything’s bigger—and deadlier—in Texas...Finally free from the claustrophobic worry caused by her psychotic baby brother’s bloodthirsty reign, former Special Agent Winter Black—newly Mrs. Winter Black-Dalton—is ready for a fresh start in Austin, Texas. With her husband and former partner, Noah Dalton, at her side, she’s hoping to shed the skin of her past and return to hunting down criminals, but in a very different way...Black Investigations is now open for business.Winter’s first case as a P.I. is as bizarre as it is perplexing. When a wealthy playboy’s girlfriend disappears without a trace, everyone who knew her says she never existed at all. Winter’s new client swears she’s real and that someone wants him to believe he’s losing his mind.But who would do that and why?Winter’s gut says that her client is telling the truth. But the deeper she digs—and the higher the stakes become—she begins to wonder if Fitz is the next victim...or a murderer.From the wickedly dark mind of Mary Stone comes a new season of mystery and suspense starting with Winter's Return. You asked for more Winter Black. The question is...are you ready? Read more
The Vanishing Kin: A Murder Mystery (Lee Callaway Book 11)
Thomas Fincham
One moment they were there, the next they were gone.How can an entire family vanish into thin air?Fourteen years ago, a doctor, his wife, and two sons disappear unexpectedly. The dinner table was set. There was food on the stove. Their car was in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.Private Investigator Lee Callaway is pulled into finding out what might have happened to the missing family. The only remaining relative is fighting dementia, and he is desperate to know the truth. Callaway knows time is running out, but he also knows, the odds are stacked against him.Can Callaway solve the baffling mystery before it’s too late? Or will he finally concede that this case might be the one that is truly unsolvable?Fans of James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and David Baldacci will love this bestselling series!Praise for Thomas Fincham:★★★★★ “James Patterson look out.”★★★★★ “Thomas Fincham kept me up until almost 2am with this Lee Callaway novel.”★★★★★ “Type faster Mr. Fincham!”★★★★★ “I LOVE a good mystery and this is a good one. I TOTALLY ENJOYED the journey. I will definitely look for more books by Thomas Fincham.”★★★★★ “Another good one by Mr. Fincham! I recently "discovered" his work and love his books! This book certainly did not disappoint.”★★★★★ “It's beyond 5 stars once you get into the book it's Unstoppable total page-turner thank you Thomas Fincham.”★★★★★ “Was up until 6 AM finishing this book because I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading more books by Mr. Fincham.”★★★★★ “Deff. Patterson style, kept me on the edge of my seat, going to read rest of series.”★★★★★ “Thank you so much Mr Fincham.”★★★★★ “This is my first Fincham book, but certainly not the last!” Read more