Lori Rader-Day has published fiction in numerous publications including TimeOut Chicago, Southern Indiana Review, Crab Orchard Review, Good Housekeeping, and The Madison Review, which awarded her the 2008 Chris O'Malley Prize in Fiction. She teaches mystery writing at Story Studio Chicago/North Shore. Her first novel, The Black Hour, was published in 2014.
Genres: Mystery
Novels
The Black Hour (2014)
Little Pretty Things (2015)
The Day I Died (2016)
Under a Dark Sky (2018)
The Lucky One (2020)
Death at Greenway (2021)
Little Pretty Things (2015)
The Day I Died (2016)
Under a Dark Sky (2018)
The Lucky One (2020)
Death at Greenway (2021)
Collections
Murder-a-Go-Go's (2019) (with Eric Beetner, Lisa Brackmann, Susanna Calkins, Hilary Davidson, Nadine Nettmann, Thomas Pluck, Diane Vallere and Holly West)
Awards
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Lori Rader-Day recommends

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc (2015)
(Anna Blanc Mystery, book 1)
Jennifer Kincheloe
"The best kind of romp: fast, funny, and fabulous. Anna may be innocent of most of life’s mysteries as she stumbles toward freedom for herself and justice for those around her, but her heart is in the right placeand she’ll steal yours. Jupiter! You’re going to love this book!"

The Semester of Our Discontent (2015)
(Lila Maclean Mystery, book 1)
Cynthia Kuhn
"Takes the reader into higher education's secrets and shadows, where the real lesson is for the new professor--how to stay alive. If you're smart, you'll read this book."

Heart of Stone (2016)
(Ellie Stone Mystery, book 4)
James W Ziskin
"Ellie Stone can hold her own (and her Scotch) against anyone, but what happens to a tough girl reporter on vacation when her defenses are down? When a lakeside accident doesn't add up, Ellie takes on the story. "Heart of Stone" is a big-hearted crush of a novel, brimming with rekindled kinship, forgiveness, love, and characters who will make readers feel true heartbreak."

Unreliable (2017)
Lee Irby
"Lee Irby's Unreliable is just that - a wild ride of a story you can't trust but won't want to put down."

The Last Place You Look (2017)
(Roxane Weary, book 1)
Kristen Lepionka
"In The Last Place You Look, a talented new voice in crime fiction gives us the seedier side of a Midwestern community and a character worth following anywhere she trespasses. A wonderful debut."

Path into Darkness (2017)
(County Clare Mystery, book 3)
Lisa Alber
"Lisa Alber's mysteries are atmospheric-brooding, complex, and featuring enough twists and turns to keep you guessing."

The Secrets on Chicory Lane (2017)
Raymond Benson
"The Secrets on Chicory Lane has a premise to envy: A killer and the girl next door meet one last time before execution day. How much do we know the people we have spent our lives with? Raymond Benson explores the nature of evil and how little chance we have to recognize it when we see it, or escape it, if we do."

Scot Free (2018)
(Last Ditch Mystery, book 1)
Catriona McPherson
"Scot Free is a proper cuppa Scottish mystery served under harsh California sunshineand everyone's a little crazy from the heat. Lexy and her Last Ditch friends are charming, weird, and laugh-out-loud funny. A real treat."

Yesterday's News (2018)
(Clare Carlson Mystery, book 1)
R G Belsky
"Belsky's behind-the-headlines story of the story news director Clare Carlson can't let go has enough twists to keep even the best-read fan on their toes. Yesterday's News is a thriller about truth, lies--and how much of each we're willing to live with."

Leave No Trace (2018)
Mindy Mejia
"Mindy Mejia's LEAVE NO TRACE leaves the reader breathless: Daring characters, a suspenseful story you will tear through, and the ticking clock of an approaching dark, cold Minnesota winter. Riveting."

The Night Visitors (2019)
Carol Goodman
"You can always call upon Carol Goodman when you need an atmospheric and twisting tale. Full of half-truths and vengeful ghosts of the past, The Night Visitors will inspire readers to linger long into the night."

Bad Axe County (2019)
(Bad Axe County Mysteries, book 1)
John Galligan
"Fast-paced and utterly addictive. I loved Heidi kick, the Dairy-Queen-turned-sheriff. Long may she reign."

The Long Call (2019)
(Two Rivers, book 1)
Ann Cleeves
"In The Long Call, Ann Cleeves builds a prism of a world, multi-faceted, complex, and as brilliant as a diamond. Fans of Vera and Jimmy will love Matthew Venn."

Curious Toys (2019)
Elizabeth Hand
"Elizabeth Hand crafts a story that is, to borrow her own phrasing late in Curious Toys, 'gruesome but peculiar, ' a fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling."

Unspeakable Things (2020)
Jess Lourey
"Part suspense, part coming-of-age, Jess Lourey’s Unspeakable Things is a story of creeping dread, about childhood when you know the monster under your bed is real. A novel that clings to you long after the last page."

The Lady Upstairs (2020)
Halley Sutton
"The Lady Upstairs is seductive, and as sharp as a knife sliding between your ribs. Feminist noir that should scare a few awful men into better behavior. Loved it."
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