Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy

Monkeewrench, led by the abrasive and paranoid Grace McBride, is a software company operated by an eclectic group of best friends with a suspiciously secretive past. Their newest program is a still-in-development training program for detectives and forensic specialists. It shows you a fictional crime scene, and you click around to investigate it. It's that simple... Until someone starts committing actual crimes based on their fake crime scenes. The game hasn't been released yet, so the police are looking at Monkeewrench as the only suspects. To clear their names, they'll have to work with the detectives to catch this criminal, before it's too late. Even if it means revealing the dark secrets of their past.

This is a fantastic mystery/thriller. The plot is good, but its writing style is what really shines. The descriptions are vivid, the dialogue is hilarious, and its tense moments are legitimately thrilling. Every character is put together with great care and personality, and their friendships are heartwarming. Because of this, it holds up well to re-reading, even if you know the ending. It takes place in Minnesota, which is a nice change of pace if you're tired of stories set in New York and California. The authors are a mother-daughter writing duo, and the Monkeewrench series currently has eight books in it.

Origin by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, a renowned professor of symbology, has been flown into Spain to witness what is being described as a "world-changing presentation." The presenter and host, Edmond Kirsch, is a billionaire futurist, who promises his audience that what they are about to see will forever change the way that we understand human existence. Unfortunately, as the presentation gets underway, an unexpected event happens, throwing the room into chaos. Suddenly, the presentation and the revelations held within it are at risk of being lost. Robert Langdon finds himself thrust into the position of fighting against those who wish to stop Edmond’s presentation from happening, and they will do whatever it takes to stop him.

Dan Brown is rightfully famous for his thrilling stories, and this is no exception. Each chapter is a cliffhanger begging the reader to keep on going until all is revealed. While Origin is the fifth book in the blockbusting Robert Langdon series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous ones to enjoy this story. If you want to read the series in order, the books are: Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and Origin. They have also been turned into a series of movies starring Tom Hanks.