Mystery Suspense Quotes & Sayings

From Chapter 1:
"You're not a local." I paused, unsure. "Or are you?"
"Sort of. Randall Van Dotson is my dad. I'm Rennie."
After tossing her head that coy, sweet way girls do, she gave me a candid appraisal. — Ed Lynskey

The arms, legs, and torso with head were dragged away in sections as the children were captivated by the drama, zealously chewing their candies with sticky teeth. — Wyatt Michael

She wouldn't have died if I hadn't taught her how to fall. — Jane Casey

There was no mistaking her daughter's handwriting. And the words... "If you're reading this, I'm already dead. — Elizabeth Heiter

The spell started to brush across my skin, tasting me, telling me what it wanted....
Nothing compared to power flowing through you, over you, around you. It was a alluring, sensual as it wound through my hair, cuddled with my skin. It wanted me to swirl the power, to tickle it with light and sound, and it sang to me of spells long lost. — N.E. Conneely

I like to write literature that reads like pulp fiction. — Nike N. Chillemi

So, you think your coffee-addicted mother is amusing." She pushed at his shoulder. "I'll get even with you. I'll show your naked baby pictures to your girlfriend." ~ Chapter 9 The Truth and Nothing but Lies — Cheri Vause

It's so still she can almost hear the thrum of the cosmos, its pulse trembling at the edge of perception — Michael Allan Scott

Either you're going to shoot us or you're not. The ball always lands on red or black, never both. — V. Alexander

We're Killers On The Keyboard — Cyndi Williams Barnier

She closed her eyes briefly, feeling sick. Olivia had experienced strangulation before. Having to look directly into the face of the person who was killing you made the experience beyond awful. But there were worse things than that. Staring into the void of unresolved memory, living an eternal mystery, waking up night after night seeing the face of someone you desperately wanted to save but having not the slightest clue how to do it - all that was worse. If going through with this experience gave her the answers she needed, if it gave her peace, it would be well worth one-hundred-and-thirty seconds of fear and pain. — Leslie Parrish

The heavy rain dripped off his thick leather hat and sloshed on the dry hard ground. To someone with a soul, it might have been peaceful, pretty, even to watch the drops bounce and form graceful puddles before they disappeared into the cracks in the Earth.

Daniel Marlin merely cursed. He only saw the weather as another delay before they could rescue their brother from jail. He turned the horse back into the copse of trees, hating to admit defeat. — Grace Willows

And when whatever happened in that barn happened, it was a moment I'll never forget. Like a missing key slid into a dusty old lock. Click. My world opened. — Jennifer Walkup

Tonight I've been dealing with a known killer, a male whore, a scam artist and now I've graduated to talking to a mayor. Who's next? The President of the National Association of Rodents? — V. Alexander

What do you think books will look like 50 years from now. — M. Scott

Woe be to the wug who forgets that destroying one part of a thing does not equal victory — David Baldacci

I want to die."
May shook her head. "Let me get a knife."
"I've made a horrible mess of things."
"Haven't we all? If you don't want your supper burned, die quietly while I get back to the kitchen. — B. J. Daniels

What exactly does the I in FBI stand for?" ~Maggie Mae Castro — Beth Yarnall

I think that's why I love to read. I'll read almost anything - mystery, suspense, slice of life - but what I really love is romance. Contemporary is good, Historical is better, Paranormal is the best. — S.T. Prussing

Meg, you have to go. I can't. — R.J. Harlick

That's really easy for you to say, Jack. You've gotten everything you ever wanted. — Belinda G. Buchanan

I am the prosecutor. I represent the state. I am here to present to you the evidence of a crime. Together you will weigh this evidence. You will deliberate upon it. You will decide if it proves the defendant's guilt. — Scott Turow

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. — Peter J. Tanous

I could feel his eyes drilling into my back. — R.J. Harlick

She would not have another man push her aside like some appetizer, there to wet his whistle only to be left once the main dish arrived.

No more. She pushed her thumb into his throat a little harder. — Jacqueline Simon Gunn

This book is a very enjoyable read - I read it in a weekend.
Eveline Maedel — Vicki M. Taylor

Well, you should have a chat with your boyfriend, clarify your desires. Hate to break the news, but, uh, he's cheatin' on you. Tell him I said my dog kisses better than him and he hits like a girl. — Courtney Vail

Shadowed beneath his brow bone were cold dark eyes containing secrets and sadness, bitterness and grief. — T.L. Parker

Shouldering the duffel bag with the Marine Corps bulldog, Old Man knocked Jan's photo off the bed table. He turned to stone staring down at the photo. His face then splintered into hurt. Tears seeped into his eyes. He grappled for the nearest bedpost and slumped forward on extended arms. His shoulders jerked and head sagged a little while his heart broke. Old Man cried the mute cry of men of his generation. — Ed Lynskey

What is your secret? What could you possibly know, more than 80 years after you death, that someone doesn't want us to find out? — Jennifer Walkup

I don't mind my friends calling me "Thornes," but the fact of people calling me "Prickly Thornes" draws the line. — Simi Sunny

Spend less time on social media and more time reading and writing. — James Gary Vineyard

Father Mark Paul found himself praying once again to get her out of his head. The pictures that formed in his mind disturbed him, not something he normally, if ever, entertained. Yes, Rose was a beautiful woman, more so than the average parishioner to sit in his church. A strange attraction had built for her, growing more every moment. — Nancy Glynn

Life has its enigmatic events, that can make it a mystery, or my misery. It all depends on how I view it. — Anthony Liccione

He also knew the language of The Klingons, but the army had no use for it. — Noorilhuda

Then someone within closed the door, shutting Norah out into the howling dust of the night. The clouds parted briefly to reveal the full moon's cold eye, then closed again. Wind seared over the pavilion's double roof, its voice rising to a shriek. Distantly, among the maze of walls, came the frenzied barking of hundreds of tiny dogs. As she drifted towards wakefulness, Norah could not tell whether it was the wind that she heard just at the end, or whether, within the dark hall, the girl had begun to scream. — Barbara Hambly

You're a real cowboy."
He laughed. "You're just now realizing that? — B. J. Daniels

Abigail ... His heart ached for his little girl, and the loss of his family drove like a blade through his heart. His head jerked up as the creak of a timber echoed overhead. If only they hadn't come to this god-forsaken place. — Caroline Mitchell

Whoever had said that appearances were deceiving was only partially right; they could also be deadly. — Julie McElwain

The blank sheet stares up at me, its emptiness like a slap. Those were the last words Ginny ever wrote before she and her family were murdered. — Jennifer Walkup

The fellow inmate shook his head and walked away mumbling to himself. Andrews smiled — William Roy Pipes

I am a very good cook." When she did cook.
"Good. I like to eat." He lightly bit her palm.
The too-much-air feeling in Lucy's stomach pressed upward into her heart. "What?" she asked past the constriction in her chest.
"What do I like to eat?"
"Yeah."
"Blondes with blue eyes."
Oh God. She pulled her hand from his. "Are you hungry?"
His gaze lowered to her mouth. "I could eat. — Rachel Gibson

Watch out for your daughters.
The man is coming.
He'll promise you the world.
But if you accept, there's no turning back.
Watch out for your daughters.
Because here comes Jack. — Nancy Glynn

Nothing woke up a man as quickly in the morning as a scorpion in his pants. — Dana Marton

Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement. ... The conventional big-bosomed blonde is not mysterious. And what could be more obvious than the old black velvet and pearls type? The perfect 'woman of mystery' is one who is blonde, subtle and Nordic. ... Although I do not profess to be an authority on women, I fear that the perfect title [for a movie], like the perfect woman is difficult to find. — Alfred Hitchcock

Two days of wedded bliss and dead dragons. Any regrets yet?"

"Not a one. — Ruth Ford Elward

You've got to admit that you live at the center of a vortex that seems to funnel nothing but trouble your way." ~FBI Special Agent Clive Poole to Maggie Mae Castro — Beth Yarnall

I don't know where we are, but we'll soon find our way home! Le avventure di Pinocchio — Nancy B. Brewer

I am who I am and always shall be. — Laura Elizabeth

Just the night before, a puma's howl had set a chill at my spine and, man, life didn't get any richer than that. — Ed Lynskey

I was beginning to agree with the thesis that some truths were better off dead.
And buried. — Simona Panova

My eyes meet his and I understand exactly what he's saying. He's my person. He's my home. — Jennifer Walkup

I help others because I can, not because I expect something in return. — Amy Manemann

The kindest thing you can offer an author is a review and a star rating. So appreciated.
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK has had a successful 5-star run on Goodreads and on Amazon. Thank you!" Lauren B. Grossman — Lauren B. Grossman

Always remember, there's no such thing as luck, nothing happens by chance, and all is by divine intervention. You're like a magnet, wherever you go, the people you have relationships with and those that are connected with them will be drawn to you. You're needed, and soon, the little ones will look to you as well. If you let God be your guide, you'll have the adventure of a lifetime. Jo, take what God gives you and run with it. — Diana Anderson

Who is this pompous hobgoblin? His jaw had grown square, his belly had gone soft. He was parading like a dictator in jockey shorts and argyle socks. — Genie Frisbee

King Yorandt to Kristina in book three of Fracture the Secret Enemy Saga~Secrets
release date: Summer 2014

Even the master does not play perfectly. He can only hope to make fewer mistakes than his opponent, and that in the end, he is the victor. Sajah (chess) is a ruthless game where the pieces are all pawns and the Queen is the true killer.
She spares no one to protect the king. The king however, is ruled by all of the pieces that lay before him, even his opponent. Every move is a decision that can change the whole board, and the endgame. — Virginia McKevitt

Whenever there is love beyond boundaries ...
Whenever trust flows deeper than oceans ...
Nevertheless, a Trial is born ...
You pass that trial, sacred you shall be ... if you don't, your are immortal !!!! — M.W.Latif

You can choose your transgressions but you can't choose your consequences. — Deborah Stempien

Why can't relationships come with an instruction manual for unsophisticated adults like me? — Maria Grazia Swan

Whatever the unknown in Europe, it had to be better than the known in a small town, where truth was hidden behind smiles, pleasantries, and an abundance of stretch lace at weddings. Whatever, the yet-to-be-written truth about her own life, it seemed certain to be waiting elsewhere on a blank page, somewhere people made no attempt to predict the future based upon a person's past.
Quote from: A Summer Abroad, Mrs. Duchesney's First Real Mystery
c. 2013 Peggy Kopman-Owens — Peggy Kopman-Owens

I define a thriller as a big-stakes, multiple-viewpoint novel involving suspense, action, and mystery, in which the reader doesn't know everything but usually knows more than any single character. — F. Paul Wilson

His eyes were twin flakes of ember floating into the night from a roaring inferno. I won't let anything happen to you. No matter what I have to do, I will keep you safe. — Airicka Phoenix

Virginia screamed, grabbing for the door handle and nearly throwing herself from the moving car.
James swerved to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes before she killed herself trying to escape. As it was, she flung herself from the car, falling to her knees and scrambling to her feet. Then she ran. Took off like a bolt until she rounded the bend and disappeared from view.
'Way to go, slick,' AJ said snarkily, climbing into the front seat. 'You ran her off. — Brandi Salazar

Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. — Myrna Ericksen

Awoke to find three vultures sitting on the fence. Realizing they were a portent of impending death I shot them. — Bridget Allison

Listen carefully. I'd crush you like a bug for causing my wife one single moment of pain. Believe it. Fear it. — J.D. Robb

give a smile, get a smile, keep a smile — V.L.Z.

The tide, you see, is a fickle thing: stealing in, sliding away, always, always turning. She comes when you're not looking, a silent, liquid thief, only to rush away again, retreating from the shore like a coward. She gives sometimes too, though in fleeting, unexpected moments, yielding up her treasures and her dead--but never, ever her secrets. — Barbara Davis

Ms. Taylor's writing style is clear, without frills, and so streamlined that her story flows and flows and flows, without taking a break, to its satisfying conclusion.
Maeve of Tara — Vicki M. Taylor

Life is replete with comedy, drama, horror, suspense, tragedy, romance, mystery, fantasy and a good dose of fiction. While at times the plot may seem to be lacking, the special effects alone are well worth the price of admission. — Derek R. Audette

The wind blowing through the cracks in the walls was fitting for this isolated and lonely place. — Nancy B. Brewer

If you focus your eyes towards the horizon, everything and everyone walking in front of you becomes a blurry mass. That's what everyone else became. All of their dark wool suits began to mesh into one, and they began to rhythmically march in unison, all while I gazed at the sliver of sky that seemed to be pressed tightly in between the skyscrapers. I kept on walking and staring at the sky, and I began to notice the skyscrapers becoming larger and larger, and before I knew it, I had to turn to get to my building, and of course, the automat. — Cristina Martin

It's a strange feeling, owning a secret. It's like a stone in my stomach, crushing my insides and making me feel sick every time I think of it. — Fiona Barton

The bones said death was comin', and the bones never lied.
Eva Savoie leaned back in the rocking chair and pushed it into motion on the uneven wide-plank floor of the one-room cabin. Her grand pere Julien had built the place more than a century ago, pulling heavy cypress logs from the bayou and sawing them, one by one, into the thick planks she still walked across ever day.
She had never known Julien Savoie, but she knew of him. The curse that had stalked her family for three generations had started with her grandfather and what he'd done all those years ago.
What he'd brought with him to Whiskey Bayou with blood on his hands.
What had driven her daddy to shoot her mama, and then himself, before either turned forty-five.
What had led Eva's brother, Antoine, to drown in the bayou only a half mile from this cabin, leaving a wife and infant son behind.
What stalked Eva now. — Susannah Sandlin

They arrived without warning on a perfect Indian summer day. — R.J. Harlick

In Paris, the dance was everything. The dance of romance was what a man could remember in his old age. Didn't all young Americans come to Europe in search of that kind of romance? — Peggy Kopman-Owens

She had to save herself from every last one of them. All of them, the people at the orphanage, the foster care system, the middle school, they were all outsiders and strangers and a possible threat.....The counselor couldn't prove otherwise. — Noorilhuda

Six nervous wives at the sink, each quiet as a queen on a chessboard. — Genie Frisbee

I heard her scream one night while she was sleeping.
Heard but didn't see.
When I turned, there was nothing.
No one.
Only darkness.
But I know what I heard. — Melanie A. Gabbard

I was sitting in my kitchen agonizing over my Christmas grocery list when I heard the noise. — R.J. Harlick

Three words were scrawled in black ink at the bottom of the page: Find the necklace. — Lindsay Marie Miller

Never give up no matter how tough the road seems,keep going and visualize yourself in the realm of what you are going to achieve. — Sharyan Alleyne

He started for his office, but something was bothering him. Turning back to her, he said, "I have to know. DJ walks in and you instantly like her. You've never liked any of the women I've dated, and you've never done more than share a few words with them on the phone. What is different about this one?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice down.
Marge smiled. "You'll remember this one's name. — B. J. Daniels

Instinctively, I shoved my arm into the void in front of my face and backed up. I heard heavy breathing, a soft grunt, and then I was roughly thrown aside. As the footsteps retreated, I tried to see who it was, but it was too dark. — Suzanne M. Trauth

Hayden McGregor glanced with contempt at the pitch-black road. "I do not fear the darkness. It fears me." He dismissed the approaching gloom with a narrowed stare. His steel gray eyes holding it back with a contemptuous regard. — Grace Willows

Listen to me you piece of shit, if you ever give the press information about me, my parents or even breathe a word about me to anyone ever again, I swear to god I will make it my mission to make your life a living hell. And, believe me I'll do it with a smile on my face the whole time. You're a worthless excuse for a Detective and everyone here knows it. You've screwed your way to the top and backstabbed Gena to get into your Captain's good books. Well look around you honey, you're a real star. No one stopped Gena or me taking you on. I've currently got you in a hold, where I could snap your neck if I wanted to, and not one person is stepping forward to help you. Yeah, you've really made it. - Stephanie Carovella to Sandra Barton — Nina D'Angelo

There were fat cats and skinny cats. The long-tailed and the bobbed. The daring young leapers, and the old windowsill sleepers. Balls of waddling fluff, smooth-coated prowlers, and hairless ones that looked fragile and wise. The tiger-striped, the ring-tailed, and the ones with matching coloured socks and mittens. There were tabbies and calicos. Manx and Persians. Siamese and Bombay. Ragdolls and Birmans. Maine Coons and Russian Blues. There were Snowshoes and Somalis, Tonkinese and Turkish, and many, many more. Brown and beige and orange and grey and black and white and silver cats, each with gleaming eyes of emerald, or sapphire, or amber. A rainbow of precious stones. — Brooke Burgess

One wrong move, one bad rumor, one mistake, and it's social death row. I'm the latest to be sentenced. Move out of the way, everyone. Dead girl walking.
-Riley — Dawn Klehr

Black rose, black rose
Who's gonna be your only one?
Who's gonna keep you safe and warm?
Run, run my baby black rose
I'm gonna find you home. — P.M. Highlanders

Concert pianists get to be quite chummy with dead composers. They can't help it. Classical music isn't just music. It's a personal diary. An uncensored confession in the dead of night. A baring of the soul. Take a modern example. Florence and the Machine? In the song 'Cosmic Love,' she catalogs the way in which the world has gone dark, distorting her, when she, a rather intense young woman, was left bereft by a love affair. 'The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out. — Marisha Pessl

Every time I think I'm about to seize the moment, it drifts back into the shadows, just beyond my reach. — Paula Hawkins

If all goes well, we will be back in time for a proper memorial service [for your father], Ben. I promise."

Ben looked up, and all the bitterness was gone from his eyes, replaced somehow by both resignation and determination.

"And if all doesn't go well?" he asked, tightening his grip on Coralee's trusting hand as he led her outside to the driveway.

Kira's flawless features morphed into something like a smile, yet wholly without happiness or humor.

"Then you'll all be meeting up with [your father] soon enough, I expect. Either that, or you shall wish it was so. — Caitlin Rush

Roarke: The bodies of the three men were found floating in the Chattahoochee River.
Eve: I think it'd be embarrassing to be dead in the Hoochie-Coochie River.
Roarke: Chattahoochee
Eve: What's the difference?
Roarke: Quite a bit, I'd think. — J.D. Robb

He held up his hand, and in it was ...
Oh, God.
The neon-pink vibrator, glowing in the dark now. It was following her, stalking her, all the way down the yellow brick road to hell. — Jill Shalvis

When your ship comes in, don't be in the bathroom with your pants around your ankles."

quoted by Frank McNichols, father of Rose McNichols in A Nose for Hanky Panky, a Granite Cove Mystery — Sharon Love Cook

Don't insult readers by questioning the extent of their imaginations. Most need only to be nudged to solve a good mystery. — Peggy Kopman-Owens

Beware. Those with the least amount of authority exercise it the most often. — Peggy Kopman-Owens

Another tug and a yank at my chestnut curls and she snarls at me, "You are so much like her."
This is something my mother often says and never explains. Though it is a great mystery to me it is also a blessing, for she always hurries from the room after saying it. — Gwenn Wright

Brody McTavish. Harper grimaced in embarrassment. She'd been half in love with him as far back as she could remember. Not that he had looked twice at her. He'd been the handsome rowdy teen she used to spy on from a distance. — B. J. Daniels