Mystery & Suspense - Exodus Books

Store Location

Sometime in the last four or five decades the Powers That Be decided every movie mystery would follow basically the same plot so that viewers wouldn't have to worry about the outcome and would be able to enjoy the movie all the way through. Fortunately for those who prefer to let the future unfold itself, there are still mystery novels.

A mystery is simply something you don't know or can't understand. By the time you understand it, it's not a mystery anymore. Part of the fun of detective stories is not knowing what's going on (at least, not for sure) until the end, when sudden light dawns in the midst of the darkness and you fancy yourself a bit dull for not having picked up on the clues earlier.

Trying to figure the solution before the main characters get there is pretty fun, too, though there's another kind of satisfaction from waiting till Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes or Lord Peter Wimsey reveal the criminal by name, the extent of his or her crimes, and the motivations that led them to kill, steal or lie. Though in the end, most of us probably end up in both categories, trying to figure everything out but still surprised by the truth.

Modern mystery novels tend to focus on criminal evil, fascinated by the depths humans are capable of sinking to. While older ones certainly didn't hesitate to point out man's depravity and capacity for wrongdoing, they were even more concerned with justice and the good guys who overcome the bad guys through superior wit and reason.

These are the ones we like. We don't admire Sherlock Holmes only for his formidable genius, but also for his commitment to employ it for the forces of good. Miss Marple doesn't need to solve crimes, but she does—and we rejoice every time she triumphs over a shady perpetrator. In the real world things might not always wind up so neatly, but it's nice to know in some books they always will.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Mystery & Suspense

75 Items found Print

Active Filters:

8th grade (Ages 13-14),

In-Stock Books & Materials

	100-Year-Old Secret Sherlock Files #1 by Tracy Barrett 1^st edition from Square Fish Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $10.19
	Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Conan Doyle from Penguin Classics for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $11.90
	Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Sidney Paget 100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.31
	Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Other Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Canterbury Classics for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories Not for the Nervous by Alfred Hitchcock, editor from Random House for 7th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Beast of Blackslope Sherlock Files #2 by Tracy Barrett 1^st edition from Square Fish Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.79
	Caribbean Mystery A Miss Marple Mystery #9 by Agatha Christie from William Morrow & Company for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.14
	Case of the Etruscan Treasure by Robert Newman Second Printing from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from SeaWolf Press for 6th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $8.49
	Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett 1^st edition from Scholastic Press for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Clue of the Marked Claw Ken Holt Mysteries #4 by Bruce Campbell from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Series (Location: VIN-SER) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Crispin: The End of Time by Avi from Hyperion/Madison Press for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey from Touchstone for 7th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.00
	Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #6 by Frank Peretti from Tyndale House for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94
	Death on the Nile A Hercule Poirot Mystery #17 by Agatha Christie from HarperCollins Mystery & Suspense for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.14
	Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork from Arthur A. Levine Books for 7th-12th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.34
	Door in the Dragon's Throat The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #1 by Frank Peretti from Crossway Books for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94
	Dorothy's Double The Story of a Great Deception by G. A. Henty from Robinson Curriculum for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN) $19.51
	Dragon, Hound of Honor by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Dumb Witness Or, Poirot Loses a Client A Hercule Poirot Mystery #16 by Agatha Christie Reprint from William Morrow & Company for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.14
	Escape from the Island of Aquarius The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #2 by Frank Peretti from Crossway Books for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Puffin Books Mystery for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.64
	Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict Mysterious Benedict Society Book 5 Mysterious Benedict Society #5 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Father Brown Reader Stories from Chesterton by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown 1^st edition from Hillside Education for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $11.01
	Father Brown Reader II More Stories from Chesterton by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown fir from Hillside Education for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $12.71
	Favorite Father Brown Stories Dover Thrift Editions by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Mystery for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Graven Images by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Andrew Glass 1^st edition from Harper & Row for 4th-8th grade 1983 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Puffin Books Mystery for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.64
	His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press for 6th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $8.49
	Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle from Dover Publications for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $4.25
	Hound of the Baskervilles Puffin Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Reissue from Puffin Books for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $6.79
	Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, Illustrated by Sidney Paget 100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press for 7th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $8.49
	Hound of the Baskervilles - Memoria Press Set by Andrew Thibaudeau from Memoria Press for 8th-10th grade in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP) $33.07
	Hound of the Baskervilles - MP Student Guide by Andrew Thibaudeau from Memoria Press for 8th-10th grade in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP) $11.86 $8.50 (2 in stock)
	Hound of the Baskervilles - MP Teacher Guide by Andrew Thibaudeau from Memoria Press for 8th-10th grade in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP) $11.86 $8.50 (1 in stock)
	Invisible Man by H. G. Wells, with an introduction by W. Warren Wagar and an afterword by Scott Westerfeld from Signet Classics Science Fiction for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.06
	Legend of Annie Murphy The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #7 by Frank Peretti Reprinted from Thomas Nelson Publishers for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94
	Lord Peter by Dorothy Sayers Reprint from Harper & Row for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Mayday at Two Thousand Five Hundred formerly titled Flying Blind The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #8 by Frank Peretti from Thomas Nelson Publishers for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94
	Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Illustrated by Sidney Paget 100th Anniversary Edition from SeaWolf Press for 7th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.31
	Morbid Taste for Bones Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters from Mysterious Press for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Morbid Taste for Bones Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters Reissue from Mysterious Press for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $14.99
	Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums Mysterious Benedict Society Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Mysterious Benedict Society Mysterious Benedict Society #1 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey Mysterious Benedict Society #2 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma Mysterious Benedict Society Book 3 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages Mysterious Benedict Society #4 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.49
	Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier from Harry N. Abrams, Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.34
	Nightmare's Edge Echoes From the Edge #3 by Bryan Davis from Zondervan for 7th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.49
	One Came Home A Sister Lost. A Body Found. The Truth Buried. by Amy Timberlake Reprint from Yearling for 5th-8th grade 2014 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.79
	One Corpse Too Many Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters Reissue from Mysterious Press for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $14.99
	Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne from Bob Jones University Press Mystery/Suspense for 7th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.09
	Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Illustrated by Sidney Paget 1905 Illustrated from SeaWolf Press for 8th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $9.31
	Room One by Andrew Clements from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Secret of the Desert Stone The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #5 by Frank Peretti from Tyndale House for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $12.74
	Seven Sunflower Seeds by John Verney from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1892 Illustrated from SeaWolf Press Mystery for 8th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $7.61
	Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other tales Signet Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson from Oxford University Mystery/Suspense for 8th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $6.76
	Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson, introduction by Robert Mighall Revised from Penguin Classics Mystery/Suspense for 8th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.65
	Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Illustrated by George Hutchinson 1891 Illustrated from SeaWolf Press Mystery for 8th-Adult in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $8.49
	Study in Scarlet & The Sign of Four Dover Thrift Editions by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from Dover Publications Mystery for 8th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 7th-12th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.70
	Tales of Mystery and Terror Puffin Classics by Edgar Allan Poe from Puffin Books Mystery/Horror for 8th-12th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Thirty-Nine Steps Dover Thrift Editions by John Buchan from Dover Publications Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $2.55
	Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from Penguin Classics Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $11.90
	Three Times Lucky Mo and Dale Mysteries #1 by Sheila Turnage Reprint from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 2013 Newbery Honor Book in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $8.49
	Tombs of Anak The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #3 by Frank Peretti from Crossway Books for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94
	Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #4 by Frank Peretti from Crossway Books for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Well Done, Denehurst! by Gwendoline Courtney from Girls Gone By Publishers for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $19.20 (1 in stock)
	Westing Game by Ellen Raskin from Puffin Books Mystery/Suspense for 1979 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.34
	Westing Game Puffin Modern Classics by Ellen Raskin from Puffin Books Mystery/Suspense for 5th-8th grade 1979 Newbery Medal winner in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.49
	Wright 3 by Blue Balliett 1^st edition from Scholastic Press for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Wright 3 Balliet Art Mystery Series by Blue Balliett from Scholastic Press for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.79
	Zora & Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon from Candlewick Press for 4th-8th grade 2011 Coretta Scott King in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $3.20 (1 in stock)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect