10 of the Best Mystery Books Set in the Pacific Northwest
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Ah, the Pacific Northwest with its cool green forests, supremely dark winters, and sunshine-filled summers that leave those of us in more sweltering regions (I’m looking at you Southwest’s current 100+ degree days) gawking in jealousy. For those who don’t know, the Pacific Northwest refers to the region of North America containing Oregon, Washington, British Colombia, and, more broadly, parts of California, Idaho, or Alaska, depending on who you ask. These areas are often mountainous, coastal, and full of the greenery you picture when imagining the quintessential dewy forest. In Washington, for example, residents and visitors can enjoy an artisanal coffee, a hike to a stunning mountaintop, and a whale-watching expedition all in the same trip (or even the same day, if you hike quick!).
The winters, however, can be dark, with the sun setting in the early afternoon and rising late morning, so those who work an office job rarely get a glimpse of it during the week. The cloud cover moves in and stays for days or weeks on end and, in the colder areas, snow blankets everything with a sharp chill. Duck boots and waterproof clothing are a must when trekking through these areas during the winter months.
What happens, though, when the things that make the region so unique and enticing take a turn for the mysterious and frightening? When the lush forests become unnavigable to someone lost inside? When the darkness becomes dark enough to cloak someone or something hiding in the shadows? That’s where these ten mystery books set in the Pacific Northwest come in!
The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal
Nora Watts is secretly living in her Private Investigator’s office basement with her dog, Whisper, when a rich couple calls in the middle of the night, asking her to meet them to discuss a missing person. Watts isn’t too surprised; she’s known as a human lie detector after all, and tracking down people is sort of her schtick. However, when the couple reveals the missing person is the daughter Watts gave up for adoption years ago, she’s stunned. Now she must hunt her down in gray and chilled Vancouver.
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
In high school, popular cheerleader Angela was best friends with Georgina and Kaiser. That is, until Calvin James entered the picture. Then Angela disappears at a party one night and no one ever sees her again. It’s nearly 15 years until her remains are found, and soon Calvin James is on trial as the publicly-dubbed Sweetbay Strangler for the murder of four women, one of them Angela. At trial, Georgina is called to testify to what actually happened that night as part of a plea deal for her part in the case. Kaiser, though, now a Seattle Police Department detective, thinks there’s more to the story than any of them are letting on.
Lies We Bury by Elle Marr
Twenty years ago, Missy escaped with the other woman and children held in captivity by a man named Chet. She was born in captivity, living her childhood in a basement with the others. Now, going by the name Claire, she’s a photographer who accepts a job with the Portland Post at the same time her captor is set to be released from prison. As murders start to take place in Portland with clues eerily connected to her past, Claire wonders if it’s actually over after all.
Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier
Working at the amusement park Wonderland in Seaside, Washington isn’t exactly glamorous. Especially after a dead body is found at the amusement park. A police chief who recently moved to the area, Vanessa Castro, is called to investigate. Soon, she discovers just how many people seem to go missing with connections to the park and just how far the park’s executives go with their money to keep any hint of bad publicity squashed.
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain
One day seemingly out of the blue, killer Gretchen Lowell turns herself in, a trail of bodies in her wake. Strangely, though, she left Archie, a Portland detective, alive. Now reeling in the aftermath and determined to find the bodies of all of her victims, Archie finds himself turning to Gretchen time and time again. Then, another killer pops up in Portland, and both Archie and Gretchen get tangled up with this new murderer in their midst.
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
It’s 1954 in the isolated town of San Pedro Island, a city on the Puget Sound. When a fisherman ends up dead, a Japanese man, Kaobuo Miyamoto, is charged with the killing. The town’s history of racism and bias soon flares up as Kaobuo goes on trial, tensions stemming back to World War II and the internment of the Japanese American residents of the community. This is a beautiful crime procedural, courtroom drama, and quiet literary novel all in one.
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
As a child, Shea survived a childhood abduction. Now she’s a receptionist by day and true-crime blogger by night. When Beth Greer, an acquitted killer accused of killing two men in the 1970s in Oregon shows up for an appointment at her day job, Shea jumps at the chance to interview her. Meeting Beth at her home, though, proves more and more unsettling as the unexplainable happens around her. Is Beth telling the truth, or is all of this just a game?
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
After Mount Rainier erupts, a now-off-the-grid community called Greenlop is isolated from the rest of society and starts to worry about their survival. Then, strange noises and footprints appear in the surrounding woods. As humans and nature collide, who will survive? Told through diaries found in the aftermath, the harrowing journey of the town’s residents unfolds day by day.
Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley
Newly retired tech guy Martin Reese has found himself a new hobby: digging up bodies. Buying police records through not-so-legal means, he uses them to find the bodies of serial killer’s victims, calling them in anonymously and keeping secreted photos of them as a memento of each find. His hobby, though, doesn’t seem so innocent to a local Seattle detective nor to the serial killers his activities threaten to expose.
My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni
Twenty years ago, Tracy’s sister disappeared, and a man named Edmund House was sentenced for her murder despite inconsistencies in the evidence. Now, her sister’s remains are found in a wooded area in the Cascade mountains, and Tracy, a Seattle Police Department detective, is determined to get to the truth of the matter.
See, the Pacific Northwest isn’t all sunshine and roses, now is it? If you’re in the mood for more atmospheric mysteries with distinct settings, check out these mysteries set around the world or these set during the Great Depression!
