Mysteries and thrillers are enjoyable no matter the season, but there’s something extra satisfying about curling up in the winter with a warm drink and an all-engrossing read. The 13 (spooked already?) books in this list, recommended by NPR staff and critics, fit the bill: stalkers, witchcraft, missing persons, suburban horror — there’s something here for every thrill-seeker. And for more nail-biters, check out Books We Love, our annual year-end reading guide.
All the Other Mothers Hate Me, by Sarah Harman
This book got me out of a reading rut! It’s about a mom who is struggling to keep her life together – while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery of her son’s missing classmate. It’s got fun twists and turns and characters who surprise you. Very plot driven and definitely hard to put down. — Elissa Nadworny, correspondent
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Audition, by Katie Kitamura
I guess I could explain the plot to you: An actress meets up with a man who is convinced she’s his mother. It turns out she’s not. I think? Maybe she is? Or, maybe she’s not but actually kind of is? What is a mother? The most impressive thing about this Booker Prize finalist is how Katie Kitamura plays with the narrative and toys with the reader without being overly clever about it all. She’s stingy with details and answers, but generous with intrigue and depth. — Andrew Limbong, correspondent, Culture Desk and host, Book of the Day
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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is many things: a clever nesting doll of narratives, a sanguine revenge thriller stitched inside the corpse of an old vampire yarn, and a fearsome accounting of America’s murderous past. Lucky for us, Stephen Graham Jones has bound it all together with a hero (antihero?) for the ages — a man from the Blackfeet tribe, aptly named Good Stab, who is determined to right the wrongs of the past, even if it takes him a few lifetimes. — Cory Turner, correspondent and senior editor, Education
Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor
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This book will keep you guessing until the last chapter. The plot jumps back and forth between two connected stories: one about a human author and one about a robot obsessed with human stories. The book tackles some big themes, including fame and immigrant identity. But one of my favorite things about it is that the robot storyline is absolutely gripping. I couldn’t put this book down, and thank goodness I didn’t, or I would have missed the final twist! — Rebecca Hersher, correspondent, Climate Desk
Elita, by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum
This absorbing midcentury American take on Nordic noir opens with two men apprehending a seemingly feral girl on Elita, a tiny island in the Puget Sound that for years has been home only to a federal men’s prison. Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum elevates the moody mystery with her choice of protagonist – Bernadette Baston, a scholar of child development and single mother, who consults on the girl’s case. Bernadette is fascinated by the child’s fierce independence in a world that sets stark constraints on the lives of women and girls. She must fight for her own independence in order to uncover the girl’s origins in this slow-burn study of insular communities and working motherhood. — Kristen Martin, book critic and author of The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow: The Dark History of American Orphanhood
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Heartwood, by Amity Gaige
Heartwood is a perfect thriller for people who don’t like thrillers (🙋♀). A nurse nicknamed Sparrow who is trying to move past the trauma of working during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic disappears while hiking the Appalachian Trail. The narration alternates among three women: a state game warden leading the search, a lonely retiree who becomes very invested and the missing woman herself, whose plight is told via the journal that keeps her going while lost. Heartwood is equal parts gripping and moving, filled with empathy and hope — not just for Sparrow’s safe return but for human connection overall. — Arielle Retting, senior editor, Newsroom
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Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang
Julie and her estranged twin, Chloe, may look identical, but that’s where the similarities end. Julie works at a supermarket, while her sister revels in the love of millions as a social media influencer. But when Chloe dies, Julie realizes she can pass for her twin – if people don’t look too closely. What follows is a thrilling, haunting look at the upkeep of pretending to be someone you’re not, whether on-screen or in person. As Julie goes to brow-raising lengths to keep up the farce and maintain her newfound audience’s love, you’ll find yourself asking whether she has a limit. — Hafsa Fathima, assistant producer, Pop Culture Happy Hour
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The Naming of the Birds, by Paraic O’Donnell
This Victorian mystery novel is Dickens meets Sherlock Holmes meets La Femme Nikita, and it wears its genre conventions proudly. The heroes: a brilliant, gruff police officer and his bumbling assistant, aided by a plucky lady journalist. The crimes: elaborate serial murders of insignificant elderly men. The killings are connected to the book’s prologue, a harrowing tale of mistreated orphans seemingly in training to be assassins. The reader knows this, but the detectives do not, giving the events a frisson of dramatic irony as the body count ticks up. — Holly J. Morris, digital trainer
Old Soul, by Susan Barker
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Jake and Mariko meet when they both miss their flight out of Osaka and decide to share a meal. Later, drunk, Mariko tells Jake about how her twin brother died, and Jake is eerily reminded of a beloved friend’s strange death. The deceased both began behaving differently shortly before they died, after meeting an exceptionally charming woman, and both had biological oddities discovered during their autopsies. Could it have been the same woman? If so, who is she? And what is she after? If you, too, are a sucker for books that follow a central mystery through the stories of seemingly disparate but ultimately interconnected characters, this one is a must. — Ilana Masad, book critic and author of Beings
The Stalker, by Paula Bomer
The antihero of Paula Bomer’s novel is Doughty, a liar, misogynist and dyed-in-the-wool sociopath who manages to fail upward by preying on women who fall for his deceit. The novel chronicles his time in New York City, where he hurts everyone he can, with no semblance of guilt or even basic humanity. This is, in part, a darkly funny novel, and Bomer walks a fine line brilliantly – the moments of humor don’t detract from the book’s important themes. — Michael Schaub, book critic
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The Tokyo Suite, by Giovana Madalosso, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato
The dual narratives of The Tokyo Suite grip the reader right from the opening chapters, which alternate between the points of view of a mother distracted by her job as an executive and the nanny who kidnaps the exec’s daughter. As this two-hander unfolds, Giovana Madalosso plays with the reader’s sympathies as both protagonists entangle themselves in the consequences of their bad choices. By the end, you’re certain the only path forward is tragedy, but instead you’ll be left thinking about what happens beyond the pages long after you close the book. — Leland Cheuk, book critic and author of No Good Very Bad Asian
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Vantage Point, by Sara Sligar
A summer mystery with a rich, troubled family and a curse? Sign me up. Vantage Point is set on a secluded island in Maine and reads like a tech thriller with the soul of a gothic dynastic horror story. It’s told from the dual perspectives of Clara, the youngest member of the wealthy, politically connected and highly unlucky Wieland family, and Jess, Clara’s childhood best friend who’s married to Clara’s brother, Senate hopeful Teddy. When a series of deepfake videos targets Clara and then Jess, it feels as though the famous Wieland curse has come into the digital age. The book is a rich drama about friendship, class and inherited trauma — all in the package of a propulsive yarn. — Barrie Hardymon, senior editor, Investigations Unit
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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
In the 1970s, young women who got pregnant before marriage were sent to homes to have their babies away from prying eyes. It was like a magic trick — a practice in concealment, disappearance and forgetting. In a state of complete powerlessness, hidden away in the stifling heat of St. Augustine, Fla., Fern — not her real name, never give your real name — meets other young girls like herself. Then a visiting librarian gives Fern a book on witchcraft, and she learns what she is willing to give up in return for that power. — Christina Cala, senior producer, Code Switch
This is just a fraction of the 380+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 13 years.
The French government confirmed this week that it has granted citizenship to George and Amal Clooney — pictured on a London red carpet in October — and their 7-year-old twins.
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One of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars is now officially a French citizen.
A French government bulletin published last weekend confirms that the country has granted citizenship to George Clooney, along with his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their 7-year-old twins.
The Clooneys — who hail from Lexington, Ky. and Beirut, Lebanon, respectively — bought an 18th-century estate in Provence, France in 2021. In an Esquire interview this October, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker described the French “farm” as their primary residence, a decision he said was made with their kids in mind.
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“I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,” Clooney said. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France — they kind of don’t give a s*** about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
In another interview on his recent Jay Kelly press tour, Clooney mentioned that his wife and kids speak perfect French, joking that they use it to insult him to his face while he still struggles to learn the language.
This week, after a French official raised questions of fairness, France’s Foreign Ministry explained that the Clooneys were eligible under a law that permits citizenship for foreign nationals who contribute to the country’s international influence and cultural outreach, The Associated Press reports.
The French government specifically cited the actor’s clout as a global movie star and the lawyer’s work with academic institutions and international organizations in France.
“They maintain strong personal, professional and family ties with our country,” the ministry added, per the AP. “Like many French citizens, we are delighted to welcome Georges and Amal Clooney into the national community.”
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They aren’t the only ones celebrating. President Trump, who has a history of trading barbs with Clooney, welcomed the news by taking another dig at the actor.
In a New Year’s Eve Truth Social post, Trump called the couple “two of the worst political prognosticators of all time” and slammed Clooney for throwing his support behind then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.
“Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies,” wrote Trump, who himself has made cameos in several films over the years. “He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Clooney responded the next day via a statement shared with outlets including Deadline and Variety.
“I totally agree with the current president,” Clooney said, before referencing the midterm elections later this year. “We have to make America great again. We’ll start in November.”
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Clooney and Trump — once friendly — have long criticized each other
Clooney, a longtime activist and Democratic Party donor, has remained active in U.S. politics despite his overseas move.
In July 2024, he rocked the political establishment by publishing a New York Times op-ed urging then-President Joe Biden — for whom he had prominently fundraised just weeks prior — to drop his reelection bid to make way for another Democrat with better chances of taking the White House. A growing chorus of calls led to Biden’s withdrawal from the race by the end of that month.
In a December interview with NPR’s Fresh Air, Clooney said his decision to speak out on that and other issues generally comes down to “when I feel like no one else is gonna do it.”
“You’ll lose all of your clout if you fight every fight,” he added. “You have to pick the ones that you know well, that you’re well informed on, and that you have some say and you hope that that has at least some effect.”
Clooney has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout both of his terms, most recently on the topic of press freedoms during the actor’s Broadway portrayal of the late journalist Edward R. Murrow last spring.
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And Trump has been similarly outspoken in his dislike of Clooney, including in an insult-laden Truth Social post — calling him a “fake movie actor” — after the publication of his New York Times op-ed.
In December, just days before this latest dust-up, Clooney shared in a Variety interview that he and Trump had been on good terms during the president’s reality television days. He said Trump used to call him often and once tried to help him get into a hospital to see a back surgeon.
“He’s a big goofball. Well, he was,” Clooney added. “That all changed.”
In the same Variety interview, Clooney — the son of longtime television anchor Nick Clooney — slammed CBS and ABC for abandoning their journalistic duty by paying to settle lawsuits with the Trump administration. He expressed concern about the current media landscape, particularly the direction of CBS News under its controversial new editor in chief, Bari Weiss.
Weiss responded by inviting Clooney to visit the CBS Broadcast Center to learn more about their work, in a written statement published in the New York Post on Tuesday. It began with “Bonjour, Mr. Clooney,” in a nod to the actor’s new milestone.
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Clooney told NPR last month that he will continue to stand up for what he believes in, even if it means people who disagree with him decide not to see his movies.
“I don’t give up my right to freedom of speech because I have a Screen Actors Guild card,” he added. “The minute that I’m asked to just straight-up lie, then I’ve lost.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky health officials are warning the public of possible measles exposures in northern Kentucky earlier this week.
A post on the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Facebook page said it “identified potential measles exposures in Grant County.” According to the post, the exposure was traced to “an unvaccinated, out-of-state traveler” who stayed at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Dry Ridge from Dec. 28-30.” That person also visited the Ark Encounter on Dec. 29.
Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, can cause serious health problems, especially in young children, according to the CDC’s website. The virus spreads through the air after someone infected coughs or sneezes. It can then linger for up to two hours after the infected person leaves.
The virus can also be spread if someone touches surfaces that an infected person has touched. Symptoms include a cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by white spots that appear on the face and down the body. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is the best protection against measles, according to health officials.
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Contact your healthcare provider if you think you or someone in your family may have been exposed.
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Contract details reveal when Kentucky could seek repayment from BlueOval SK
Federal judge dismisses consent decree meant to spark police reform in Louisville
Dozens of vacancies raise safety concerns at Louisville Metro Corrections
Louisville doctors urge prevention as flu cases surge after the holidays
LMPD detective shared login to Flock camera system with DEA agent conducting immigration search
Every year around this time I present a “new names in the news” quiz. I’m going to give you some names that you’d probably never heard before 2025 but that were prominent in the news during the past 12 months. You tell me who or what they are.
1. Zohran Mamdani
2. Karoline Leavitt
3. Mark Carney
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4. Robert Francis Prevost (hint: Chicago)
5. Jeffrey Goldberg (hint: The Atlantic)
6. Sanae Takaichi
7. Nameless raccoon, Hanover County, Virginia
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge came from Joseph Young, of St. Cloud, Minn. Think of a two-syllable word in four letters. Add two letters in front and one letter behind to make a one-syllable word in seven letters. What words are these?
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Challenge answer
Ague –> Plagued / Plagues / Leagues
Winner
Calvin Siemer of Henderson, Nev.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge is a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 8 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
